A self-proclaimed pastor, Emmanuel Adegoke, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly defrauding a Nigerian woman living in the United Kingdom of N47 million. The woman, Mary Abosede, had reportedly sent the money for the purchase of land and construction of a house in Nigeria, only to discover upon her return that no property transaction had been carried out.
According to the police, the arrest followed a petition lodged by Abosede at the Kemta Divisional Police Headquarters. She alleged that between 2013 and 2025, while residing in the UK, she transferred a total of N47 million to Adegoke, trusting him to handle the real estate deal on her behalf. When she visited Adegoke at his church, Covenant Mercy Church in Sam Ewang, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, she was shocked to find that neither the land purchase nor any building construction had taken place as promised.
CSP Omolola Odutola, spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, stated that preliminary investigations revealed Adegoke, who identifies as a cleric, failed to provide any satisfactory explanation for the funds in his possession. The Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, has directed that the case file and all parties involved be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further discreet investigation and appropriate legal action.
This incident adds to a growing pattern of criminal cases involving self-styled pastors in Ogun State. In February 2024, another self-proclaimed clergyman, Timothy Adedibu, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a nine-year-old girl in Magboro, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area. In 2023, Oyenekan Oluwaseyi, a pastor of Christ Liberty Evangelism Church in Iyana Iyesi, Ota, was detained along with three others after authorities discovered a human skull in the Saje area of Abeokuta, the state capital.
Authorities continue to urge Nigerians to exercise caution when dealing with self-proclaimed religious leaders, especially in financial transactions, as cases of fraud and other criminal activities linked to such individuals appear to be on the rise.