Fresh facts have emerged on alleged criminal activities of the General Overseer of Faith On The Rock Ministry International, Apostle Theophilus Oloche Ebonyi who was recently arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Investigations showed that Ebonyi acquired a 23-room hotel, a pure water factory, two blocks of a Primary School and two bungalow office at Nyanya-Gwandara, New Karu in Abuja and a five-bedroom duplex at Karsana, Abuja with the proceeds of his alleged fraudulent dealings with his subscribers. He also set up a live broadcast channel with studio equipment for his Theobarth Global Foundation with the funds of his subscribers.
Ebonyi was arrested in 2023 by EFCC for allegedly defrauding his church members and other Nigerians using fake grants from the Ford Foundation to the tune of One Billion, Three Hundred and Nineteen Million, Forty Thousand, Two Hundred and Seventy Four Naira.
Specifically, he was arrested for defrauding his victims, comprising Non-Governmental Organisations and individuals by advertising an intervention project through his NGO, Theobarth Global Foundation claiming that the Ford Foundation was offering a grant of twenty billion dollars to assist the less-privileged in the society.
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He allegedly hoodwinked his victims to subscribe as beneficiaries of the phony grant by asking them to pay for registration forms and clusters. Each subscriber was made to pay one million, eight hundred thousand naira. Through this arrangement, Ebonyi allegedly raked in over one billion naira. Ebonyi’s subscribers are innocent and unsuspecting Nigerians and NGOs across the country.
Investigations by the EFCC showed that Ford Foundation had no arrangement, grant, relationship or business with Ebonyi. The Foundation pointedly disclaimed him and his NGO stressing that it had no link whatsoever with them. The Anti-graft agency has also traced five properties he acquired as proceeds of his criminal dealings.
The EFCC says Ebonyi is still reaching his subscribers on some social media platforms to market his spurious grant from Ford Foundation and cautions the public.
(Editor : Ena Agbanoma)
