Apostle Theophilus Oloche Ebonyi, the General Overseer of Faith On The Rock Ministry International, has been apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The reason for his arrest is the alleged scam he orchestrated, where he fraudulently obtained a staggering N1,319,040,274 from churchgoers and other individuals in Nigeria.
This was achieved by deceiving them with counterfeit grants supposedly issued by the Ford Foundation. Ebonyi was apprehended on charges of deceiving his victims, including both Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and individuals, by promoting a relief project via his organization, Theobarth Global Foundation.
He falsely claimed that the Ford Foundation was providing a $20 billion grant to aid the less fortunate in society.
"He is said to have deceived his victims into signing up as recipients of the fraudulent grant by convincing them to make payments for registration forms and groups. Each individual who subscribed was required to make a payment of N1,800,000 (One Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira only).
Using this scheme, Ebonyi supposedly accumulated a total of N1,391,040,274.31. His victims consist of unsuspecting Nigerian individuals and NGOs throughout the nation." The EFCC's investigations revealed that there was no connection or partnership between the Ford Foundation and Ebonyi.
The Foundation explicitly denied any association with him and his NGO, emphasizing that they had no relationship at all. Additionally, the Commission has identified five properties that he obtained through illegal activities.
Ebonyi is allegedly still using various social media platforms to promote his fraudulent grant from the Ford Foundation. Once the investigations are completed, he will face legal charges in court.