How Cele pastor duped me – Victim


A London-based architect, Mrs Oladele Oni, on Monday, informed a Lagos High Court in Ikeja how a prophet of Celestial Church of Christ, Israel Ogundipe, allegedly defrauded her of over N17m.


The Lagos State Government is prosecuting Ogundipe before Justice Olabisi Akinlade on an alleged six-count charge of forgery and obtaining money through false pretence.


At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, Oni told the court that she entrusted the accused with her money to procure some landed property on her behalf because she thought he was a “good pastor”.


In her evidence –in –chief, Oni told the court that the accused had attempted to blackmail her into forfeiting all her landed property in his custody.


The witness, who claimed to have first met the accused in 2002 during her visit to Nigeria, testified that, “the accused said something about my husband and that I should not have anything jointly with him because he was having an affair behind my back.”


Oni further informed the court that her step-sister took her to the prophet for spiritual help.


She also said, “He (the accused) gave me a liquid to drink and I started vomiting. I was asked to sit down and he lighted a candle and said I should be there until the candle goes off.”


She further claimed that she was later taken by the prophet in company of her step-sister and cousin to a bush in Sango-Ota Area of Ogun State where she was allegedly bathed with some concoction.


She alleged that she started having financial dealing with him after she returned to London, alleging that Ogundipe called her and advised her to invest in landed property in Lagos which she agreed to after consultations with some people.


The witness also testified that she sent money to the accused in five tranches of N900, 000, N2.5m, N8.5m, N2.7m and £12,000 between 2002 and 2005 to purchase the property on her behalf.


She alleged that after collecting the money, the prophet converted some of the said property for his personal use and refused to refund the money for the others.


She said, “When I confronted him about this, he started threatening my life and blackmailing me. He was saying that I have a son for him which was an embarrassment.”


The matter has been adjourned till April 8.

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