NEWS
EFCC Declines Further Comments On Billions Recovered From RCCG
EFCC Declines Further Comments On Billions Recovered From RCCG
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declined to provide further clarification on the billions of naira reportedly recovered from the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) following an investigation into the financial transactions of an unnamed donor.
The Commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, declined to make further comments when contacted by LEADERSHIP, leaving unanswered questions about the exact amount recovered, the identity of the individual involved and the circumstances surrounding the transactions.
The development comes days after EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed that RCCG General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, ordered the immediate refund of funds traced to the church from an individual under investigation for alleged financial crimes.
Olukoyede had revealed that the individual’s financial transactions ran into tens of billions of naira, with investigators tracing some of the funds to projects undertaken by the church.
According to the EFCC chairman, he personally approached Adeboye and briefed him on the commission’s findings, prompting the cleric to direct some church officials to return all funds linked to the individual within 24 hours.
Recounting the incident, Olukoyede said Adeboye became visibly angry upon learning about the discovery and immediately instructed the church to return the money.
The EFCC chairman quoted the cleric as saying, “I give you 24 hours. Everything you have traced to RCCG from this particular person who has been indicted, return it within the next 24 hours.”
He said the church complied with the directive and the money was subsequently returned to government coffers.
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“That money was returned to the coffers of government. That is what RCCG is known for. That is who we are. We are not the custodian of proceeds of crime,” Olukoyede said.
The disclosure, which was reported by several national newspapers, has generated interest in the financial accountability of religious institutions, particularly regarding the acceptance of large donations from wealthy individuals.
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Although Olukoyede described the recovered funds as billions of naira, he did not disclose the precise amount involved or identify the donor.
Meanwhile an EFCC source said the money is in tens of billions.
The EFCC chairman made the revelation while addressing RCCG ministers and workers during a programme organised at the invitation of Adeboye to discuss ethical standards, financial accountability and corruption within the Christian community.
Olukoyede, who is also an ordained pastor of the RCCG, warned religious leaders against allowing their institutions to become channels for laundering or concealing proceeds of crime.
He urged pastors to exercise caution when accepting donations, stressing that the financial status of wealthy contributors should not be a substitute for scrutinising the sources of their wealth.
The EFCC boss also disclosed a separate case involving an unnamed church allegedly linked to a Ponzi scheme, saying its leader initially resisted the commission’s intervention but eventually agreed to refund a substantial amount after being threatened with legal action.
Adeboye, in response, reportedly assured the EFCC chairman that the church would not shield anyone involved in financial wrongdoing.
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