Winners Chapel Pastor in EFCC Custody Over N19.3m Fraud

Winners Chapel Pastor in EFCC Custody Over N19.3m Fraud

A lawyer and former member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ilorin Branch, Temidayo Eseyin, has been arraigned by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Eseyin is also an associate pastor of the Living Faith Church (aka Winners’ Chapel), which was arraigned for allegedly defrauding Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State the sum of N19.3million. Landmark University is owned by Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church.

The defendant allegedly abused his position as Attorney to Landmark University, to cheat and defraud his client (the university).

According to EFCC, he committed the offence between 2014 and 2022 when he was managing a property known as “Old Midland Building” belonging to Landmark University.

The university is situated along Emir/Obbo Road, Ilorin, which rent Mr. Eseyin collected for 8 years but could not account for the funds.
In addition to this, the Commission noted that Eseyin had also allegedly attempted to sell the property without authorisation from the university.

Based on this, the EFCC arraigned him before Justice Funsho Lawal of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, on a four-count charge bordering on dishonestly misappropriating the University of funds

“That you, Temidayo Eseyin sometime in the year 2021, in Ilorin Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly misappropriated the sum of Six Million, Sixty Four Thousand Naira Only (N6, 064,000) representing payment of rent on property known as Old Midland Building belonging to Landmark University and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Penal Code Law and Punishable under Section 309 of the same Law,” count 3 of the charge reads but the defendant pleaded not guilty. Counsel to the EFCC, Rashidat Alao, then urged the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant pending trial.

Eseyin’s lawyer, Femi Makinde, however, moved an application for the bail of the defendant to which Justice Lawal granted in the sum of N10 million.

He was also asked to produce two sureties in the sum of N5 million each.

The judge ordered that the sureties must have landed property within the jurisdiction of the court, and the case was adjourned as the new dates for the next sitting would be communicated to the parties.