A Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has sentenced a pastor of the Living Faith Church, aka Winners’ Chapel, Afolabi Samuel, to three years’ imprisonment for stealing $90,000 and N4.5m belonging to the registered trustees of the church.

Samuel, who is an accountant and the church’s treasurer, was arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada on two counts of conspiracy and stealing by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

According to the EFCC, the pastor and one Blessing Kolawole, an employee of the Covenant University, who is currently at large, conspired and dishonestly stole the money and converted the same to their personal uses.

The anti-graft agency said Samuel, who was employed in the accounting department of the church to maintain proper records of funds, connived with Kolawole and others to take advantage of their position as the church’s treasurer and worker at the university, respectively.

The offences contravened sections 278, 285 and 490 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State No. 11, 2011.

Delivering her judgment, Justice Dada found Samuel guilty of the charges.

Counsel for the convict, Rotimi Ogunwuyi, who noted that his client’s action did not only embarrass him but also his family, urged the court to temper justice with mercy.

Ogunwuyi stated that the convict had realised his mistakes, which made him to change his plea from not guilty to guilty, and that Samuel was responsible for his children’s education and care for his aged parents.

The counsel’s allocutus made the judge grant the convict an option of fine of N1m and ordered him to refund the sum of $90,000 and N2,358,000 to the church.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/winners-pastor-jailed-for-stealing-churchs-90000-n4-5m/%3famp=1

FTC

3 years?

Edit:
For those claiming he should have been forgiven, forgiveness does not mean you won't face the consequences of the action.
A man who commits adultery for example and gets HIV in the process could be forgiven by the wife but that does not mean the HIV disappears.

He pleaded not guilty initially. Meaning he was falsely accused, hence, he needed to defend himself.

If he has pleaded guilty he could have been forgiven as has been the case with many.


If the judgement was in his favor, he could have claimed that he was wrongly accused.

Now, the judgment was in favor of the church.

Even though it is church money accountability is necessary.

If he has pleaded guilty he could have been forgiven as has been the case with many.

Interesting times..


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Another Judas iscariot

Just imagine pastor stealing church money.

Legalcriminal:
Why was he arrested even when bible said forgive others so you can be forgiven as well. Jesus will surely replace the stolen money

blamingthedevil:
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”-Ephes 3:32

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”-Matth 6:14

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”: Col. 3 :13

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”Luke 6:37

If forgiven other will jump into same habit hoping for forgiveness and we know God is not a God of disorder but of order. Jesus didn't rush to proclaim forgiveness for Judas.

Righteousness where you dey o ?

pafra:
How was

nigga please

The greatest temptation for pastors is money.

Why was he arrested even when bible said forgive others so you can be forgiven as well. Jesus will surely replace the stolen money

blamingthedevil:
Church should forgive and forget

uh
Oyedepo will not because its involving money

That's serious

E don red for him

Yahoo Pastor

Baba don use "Hmm" collect members salary

See money, make una free the man.

The money belongs to his father (God), infact it is God's money in God's house .

Nothing we no go see for this life

Church bandit

Why people steal from the church
Most fraud occurs for one or more of these reasons:

No internal controls. Without proper internal controls, there is a perceived opportunity.

Financial pressure. The embezzler needs money for some reason.

Rationalization. An embezzler may think they aren’t paid enough and so deserve the money, or they may consider it borrowing, not stealing.
Continual exposure to funds in an unsupervised, unregulated environment.


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Why is he arrested? He stole from God, let the pastor hand him over to god naw.

The anti-graft agency said Samuel, who was employed in the accounting department of the church to maintain proper records of funds[b][/b] most people in this position in church lacks self-control

O por


Government na barawo

bloggers na arm robber

imam dey gbaladun


pastor na enjoyment


Naira Marley is a new school prophet, best believe.

How can one be jailed for stealing in his father's house? Odiegwu

No be small tin ooh!

No fear of God at all!!.

Since he pleaded guilty, is the church not suppose to forgive him and ask him to do restitution?