Nigerian Pastor Arrested Over Allegedly Swindling Followers Of $1m
A Nigerian pastor has been arrested over allegations he fraudulently got people to part with their money.
Theo O Ebonyi, well-known in Benue state, is accused of swindling his followers and others out of more than 1.3bn naira ($930,000; £740,000).
He was detained and freed on bail last year, but this has only just been made public, the anti-corruption authority spokesperson is quoted as saying.
Mr Ebonyi said the news was “fake” information spread by bloggers.
He did not comment on the allegations against him.
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allege Mr Ebonyi asked his victims to pay a $1,300 fee each to access a $20bn grant from the US-based Ford Foundation.
It, however, says that the foundation did not offer such a grant.
“Investigations by the EFCC showed that the Ford Foundation had no arrangement, grant, relationship or business with Ebonyi,” the agency.
“The foundation pointedly disclaimed him and his NGO stressing that it had no link whatsoever with them.”
