Court Sentences Two Pastors to 7 Years in Prison for Stealing N32m
In a ruling delivered on Wednesday, December 10, 2014, Justice F. O Ohwo of the Delta State High Court, Warri, Delta State, found Pastor Glory Okeoghene Abrefera and Reverend Vincent Okpogu guilty of stealing N32million from depositors and sentenced them to seven years imprisonment each.
The two clergymen were taken into custody after orchestrating a deceitful investment scheme, Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited, a wonder bank, which defrauded unsuspecting members of the public of their hard-earned money.
In today’s judgment, Justice Ohwo found the accused persons guilty on all nine counts charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC and sentenced them to seven years imprisonment on each count, to be served concurrently.
The judge has ruled that the convicts will serve the seven-year term at Okere Prisons in Warri, Delta State, after completing the ten years sentence they are currently serving for illegal banking.
It would be recalled that Abrefera and Okpogu were convicted and sentenced to ten years imprisonment on January 7, 2013, by Justice I. N. Buba of the Federal High Court Asaba, on a 4-count charge for operating an illegal financial institution called Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited.
The prosecutor, Mr. G. K. Latona, stated that “the convicts are still answering to other charges at Otor-Udu High Court for related offences.”
