Afia Ohemeng
Ibrahim Aku of the Church of Brethren in Nigeria’s Adamawa State was sentenced over the theft of $43,000 (15 million Naira) belonging to the church.
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Aku before the Adamawa State High Court after the church petitioned the Commission, Vanguard reports.
The court heard that Aku was entrusted by the church to deposit the church’s revenue into its accounts, but he ended up diverting same and forged bank tellers to balance the financial books.
With an accomplice who is now on the run, Aku forged the stamps of the banks which were used in carrying out the fraud.
The accomplice was reported to have received 500,000 Naira from Aku to help him with the transaction.
The high court has ordered Aku to return the money to the church and that anything bought with the money be sold.
According to Vanguard, Aku pleaded guilty to six counts that included forgery and obtaining money by false pretense.
He was then sentenced to three years for each count.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which filed the case, tweeted about it and the sentencing at the Adamawa High Court in north-eastern Nigeria:
Church Accountant Bags 18yrs for N15.5m Fraud
The EFCC Gombe Zonal Office on January 13, 2020, secured the conviction of one Ibrahim Aku before Justice Nathan Musa of the Adamawa State High Court.#SayNoToCorruption #EFCCFightsForYou pic.twitter.com/j2Nv9NKDgi
— EFCC Nigeria (@officialEFCC) January 13, 2020
Aku, an Accountant at EYN Church of Christ (Ekilisiyar Yen Uwa Nigeria), EYN, Church of Brethren in Nigeria (CBN) in the state was charged with six counts bordering on forgery and obtaining money by false pretence.
— EFCC Nigeria (@officialEFCC) January 13, 2020
Investigations by the EFCC, revealed that the money was generated by the church members by offerings, donations and tithe.
For details of this and other stories, visit our website: https://t.co/hImWyuPQor
— EFCC Nigeria (@officialEFCC) January 13, 2020
