The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have apprehended the General Overseer of Faith On The Rock Ministry International, Apostle Theophilus Oloche Ebonyi, for swindling a church member and other Nigerians of a whooping N1, 319,040,274.31(One Billion Three Hundred and Nineteen Million, Forty Thousand, Two Hundred and Seventy Four Naira, Thirty One Kobo) by using fake grants from the Ford Foundation.
Confirming the arrest, spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Monday, February 5, 2024, said Ebonyi was arrested for defrauding his victims, comprising Non Governmental Organisations, NGOs and individuals by advertising an intervention project through his NGO (Theobarth Global Foundation) claiming that the Ford Foundation was offering a grant of $20,000, 000 (Twenty Billion United State Dollars) to help the poor in the society.
Ebonyi reportedly deceived his victims to subscribe as beneficiaries of the phony grant by requesting them to pay for registration forms and clusters. it was said that each subscriber was paid the sum of N1,800,000 (One Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira) only.
It was gathered that he alleged raked in N1,391,040, 274.31 through this arrangement.
According to Investigations by the Anti-graft agency, Ford Foundation had no arrangement, grant, relationship or business with the accused.
Meanwhile, the Commission has also traced five properties he acquired by the accused as proceeds of his criminal dealings, as Foundation clearly dismissed any link to do with him and his NGO.
Meantime, Ebonyi is still reportedly reaching his subscribers on some social media platforms to market his spurious grant from Ford Foundation as he would have his day in court as soon as investigations are concluded.
