Kenyan-Based Nigerian Pastor Accused Of Defrauding Stanbic Bank Over Sh28M

A Kenyan-based Nigerian preacher Pastor Wealth Ochelle Alias Apostle Wealth of Cogic International Church of God domiciled at Shanzu in Mombasa has been charged with conspiracy to defraud Stanbic Bank Limited Sh28,779,600.

According to the charge sheet, Pastor Wealth committed the crime on diverse dates between November 3 and 8 2022 within Kenya.

On another account, he’s accused of handling stolen money where on November 10, 2022, he dishonestly received Sh340,000 dishonestly received into his Safaricom M-Pesa number 0718554445 having the reason to believe it to be stolen or unlawfully obtained.

Being a Nigerian citizen, the prosecution argued that he was at flight risk. Already his passport has been surrendered to the police.

The pastor has been living in Kenya since 2013 in Shanzu where he has a church in the name of Cogic Church of God.

Stealing from the flock

In a similar story, a Kisii court was on May 23 told how a Bishop in Nyamache, Kisii County defrauded his unsuspecting followers of over Sh5 million by purporting that he would help them relocate to the US.

Bishop Samson Obonyo of the Pentecostal Evangelical Church of Africa (PEFA) church was charged with seven counts before Magistrate Wa Kugwa Wahinya.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a bond of Sh3million.

Bishop Samson Obonyo of Nyamache Pentecostal Evangelical Church of Africa (PEFA). PHOTO/COURTESY

The 60-year-old preacher however admitted that there were plans to take several young people to work abroad but the process was interrupted by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Around 2020, the man of God announced in his church during a Sunday service that there were job vacancies in the USA and he had connections to help his church members relocate.

He went ahead and helped the willing followers acquire passports. He however detained these traveling documents as he claimed to complete the traveling process. During this period, he kept on demanding for more money.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he told his followers that they could not travel because of the pandemic and further advised them to go for vaccination as the waited for the international flights to resume.

Later, he invited these followers to his Nairobi home for medical tests which, surprisingly, he did himself.

He also assured them that though the process was complicated, they would get their visas as he had arranged with the US embassy.

“He told us to sell our properties and bid farewell to our families back home and travel to his city home as we wait for the flights,” one of his followers said.

They were also directed to carry with them food stuffs including bananas, maize, beans and wheat. He hosted them for a few days and later took them to a hotel where each of them was paying Sh1500 daily.