EFCC recovers N11.9 million stolen by RCCG deacon

-EFCC returns 11.9 million naira stolen by church deacon.

-The suspect diverted the amount from the church funds to his personal account.

-He was an account officer with access bank in charge of the accounts before he was sacked by the bank upon discovering the fraudulent activities.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has returned the stolen sum of N11.9m to a parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Rivers State after concluding investigations on the matter.

The said amount was said to have been recovered from a deacon of the RCCG, Cyril Idakwoji who is also an account officer attached to the church’s account by the bank.

The amount was handed over in two cheques by the South-South Zonal Head of the EFCC, Mr. Ishaq Salihu, who further explained that Idakwoji, a former employee of Access Bank, diverted the church funds to private use instead of transferring them to the church’s bank account.

Handing over the cheques to the pastor-in-charge of Province 4 of the RCCG, Salihu said, “He (suspect) forged the letterheads of the church and the signature of the pastor in charge of the region. He also forged the signature of the church’s accountant to execute his criminal schemes in the RCCG.”

The stolen funds were paid back by the bank, which had sacked the suspect.

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Province 4 Pastor of the RCCG, Port Harcourt, Mr. Mark Barango, who received the cheque from the anti graft agency, commended the operatives for ensuring the funds were recovered.

“He (suspect) was the account officer assigned by the bank to us. He was also a member of the church. EFCC is an agent of transformation. I thank the EFCC for helping us to recover the money.”

In a related development, Salihu disclosed that the EFCC had earlier recovered N36m belonging to a private school- Jephthah International School, which was also stolen by Idakwoji and paid it back to the school.

According to the EFCC zonal head, Idakwoji was also the bank’s account officer to the school.