Apostle Theophilus Oloche Ebonyi, the General Overseer of Faith on The Rock Ministry International, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly defrauding thousands of Nigerians with a fake grant scheme.
Ebonyi, who claimed to be the founder of Theobarth Global Foundation, an NGO, advertised that the Ford Foundation was offering a grant of $20 billion to help the less-privileged in the society. He lured his victims, mostly church members and other NGOs, to register as beneficiaries of the bogus grant by paying N1.8 million each.
Through this fraudulent scheme, Ebonyi amassed a whopping N1.3 billion from unsuspecting Nigerians, who hoped to receive a share of the $20 billion grant. However, investigations by the EFCC revealed that Ebonyi had no connection or relationship with the Ford Foundation, which denied any knowledge of him or his NGO.
The EFCC also traced five properties that Ebonyi acquired with the proceeds of his crime. He is still reportedly contacting his victims on social media platforms to market his fake grant offer. He will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded, according to the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale.
This is not the first time that a pastor has been involved in a grant scam in Nigeria. In 2019, a pastor named Emmanuel Omale was arrested by the EFCC for allegedly duping his church members of N1.2 billion with a similar scheme. He claimed that he had access to a grant from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and asked his followers to pay N1,000 each to register. He also promised them a monthly stipend of N50,000 and a car after six months.
These cases show the need for Nigerians to be wary of grant schemes that sound too good to be true. They should always verify the authenticity and credibility of the sources before parting with their hard-earned money. They should also report any suspicious or fraudulent activities to the EFCC or other relevant authorities.
