A 32-year-old cleric, Pastor Abel Benard Aniude of Trimphant Kings
Assembly, Enugu, has been nabbed by police detectives in Enugu for
allegedly duping a 25-year-old lady, Ojiaku Chiamaka of N4 million.
The pastor was said to have wooed Chiamaka on facebook
in December 2013 and promised her marriage. Using preparations for the
marriage as a bait, the clergy allegedly swindled the lady over N4
million.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, who confirmed
the arrest, told Saturday Sun that the suspect and his younger brother,
Tobias Aniude serving a jail term in Enugu prison, were notorious for
using facebook to promise innocent women marriage and eventually dupe
them.
The victim, Chiamaka, who works as a sales girl with her brother,
Emmanuel Monday Ojiaku at Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State, was said to have
diverted proceeds from sales in her brother’s shop to meet the demands
of Pastor Aniude.
Giving details of what transpired between him and Chiamaka, Pastor Aniude told Saturday Sun:
“I am an Assistant Pastor with Triumphant
Kings Assembly. I have been in ministry for five years now. I am
jobless. I met Chiamaka on facebook in December, 2013. I promised to
marry her. Then, she started sending money to my bank account in Enugu. I
visited her at Ibadan twice and collected the sum of N1million from
her.”
“I have to send my wife away with my two kids from my house to Aba. When
I told my wife that I wanted to marry a second wife but she refused,
that prompted me to send her packing. “I used part of the money Chiamaka
was sending to buy a car and built a bungalow in my village at Nochele
Ndeaboli in Aliri Local Government Area, Enugu State. “I deceived her
that I wanted to marry her on Christmas day, December 25, 2014. I also
lied to her that I had a motor accident. I rescheduled it for February
14, 2015. I lied to her again that armed robbers attacked me. I
rescheduled it for Easter period, April 4, 2015 before the police
anti-kidnappers squad arrested my wife, my Pastor Sam Ezenagu before I
was arrested”.
Explaining how his younger brother, Tobias got involved in the scam, the suspect said:
“It was when I have duped her that I handed over her phone number
to my younger brother, Tobias who is currently serving in Enugu prison
yard. My younger brother called Chiamka and told her that the wedding invitation cards were ready but that I am not serious and he is ready to marry her and so she should send him money.”
In her own account of the scam, Chiamaka explained:
“I met Pastor Abel Bernard Aniude on
facebook in December 2013 and we started chatting on facebook. Pastor
Abel deceived me that he wanted to marry me. I worked in the shop of my
brother, Emmauel Ojiaku who sells electronics in Ibadan. I started to
send N700,000 and N300,000 to Pastor Abel through his UBA and Diamond
account numbers”.
“In July 2014, Pastor Abel came to Ibadan and lodged in a hotel and
after having sex with me, I gave him N300,000. Also on September, 2014,
Pastor Abel came to Ibadan and lodged again in same hotel and after
having sex me, I gave him N700,000. I don’t known how I ended up sending
N4 million into his bank accounts.” “My family should forgive me. I was
deceived. I have learnt my lesson in a hard way”, she said.
The victim’s brother, Emmanuel Ojiaku
stated: “Chiamaka is my blood sister. She was in the village in Nnewi,
Anambra State where one guy impregnated her and later the guy denied the
pregnancy, she delivered the baby and after sometimes, the baby died. I
went to the village in Nnewi and brought her to Ibadan to stay with me
so that she will not suffer”.
On how Chiamaka was able to have access to his money, Emmanuel said:
“I deal in electrical appliances in Ibadan.
I took my sister, Chiamaka to be like a sales girl. Suddenly my wife
took ill and had to take her to India for treatment.
“Chiamaka was in charge of my shop. I didn’t suspect her rather I
handed over the shop to her. It was March 27, 2015 when Chiamaka came
back from the shop and I discovered
that she was having N1700, which led to searching of her room and I
discovered N65,000 under her bed. I brought out cutlass and threatened
her and collected her phone before she confessed to me that she has sent
over N4 million to Pastor Abel.”
