RCCG Pastor, Wife In Alleged N4.48m Scam •It’s Business Turned Awry Between 2 Ex-Lovers-Accused
A pastor, said to be of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Adeboyejo Omigbiyegbe and his wife, Pelumi Omigbiyegbe, are alleged to have committed a financial scam, totalling N4.480,000 million.
The allegation is contained in a petition by Mr Adebowale Adepoju of West Midlands, United Kingdom, dated 5 August, 2021 and addressed to the General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor E. A. Adeboye.
Pastor Omigbiyegbe and his wife are of the RCCG Church, Greatness Throne (Youth Province 4), opposite Yinkbetty Oil and Gas, Elebu, off Alao-Akala Expressway, Ibadan, Oyo State.
However, Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe, when contacted by the Newscoven.ng, denied the alleged scam, dismissing it as a case of a business that went awry between two former lovers, having once been married to Adepoju.
The pastor’s wife also claimed that she is not owing up to N4.4 million and admonished the petitioner not to resort to blackmailing or using the Church to get a refund of the money he invested.
Adepoju had, in the petition, titled “Re: Fraudulent Acts By Pastor Adeboyejo Omigbiyegbe and Pastor’s Wife Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe…”, alleged that the pastor’s wife reneged on terms agreed on a poultry business contracted in 2020.
He claimed that he invested a total sum of N4 million with Mrs Omigbiyegbe, on behalf of a friend, also based in the UK, Mr Adekola, who he said obtained a bank loan for the purpose of the business.
Adepoji said the investment, totaling N4 million, was contracted in Nigeria, in two tranches in 2020, with a poultry farm called Victom Function, then run and managed by Mrs Omigbiyegbe.
The first part of the investment, amounting to N3 million, he said, was made on the 25 August, 2020, while the second, involving N1 million, took place on 18 November, 2020.
“She also made it clear, via the signed contract, that if anything goes wrong, the actual investment fund is insured. So, therefore, the total of N4million will be fully refunded under no condition.
“In-between the first and second investments, pastor’s wife, Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe, resigned from her bank job, not knowing she had a plan to use this money to fund her small chops and cooking business, which she at some point said to my hearing prior to the investment I made with her,” he said.
Adepoju said, according to the terms of the contract, there was a promised 20 per cent interest of the investment every 60 days, with no default.
“When questioned about how realistic this is, she assured me that she has been doing this business for a while now and she has never defaulted any of her investors.
“When the first investment returns was due after 60 days, the sum of N600,000, she came up with COVID-19 and EndSARS excuse as her customers couldn’t pick up chicken from the farm and she therefore defaulted four days after endless phone calls and messages.
“According to her, just five days before the repayment was due, she went ahead to purchase N900,000 worth set of new birds, thereby not prioritising her investor’s repayment.
“The first investment next returns was due on the 25 December, 2020. But on the 2 December, 2020, she came up with another letter that the agreed 20 per cent will be changed to 10 per cent due to COVID-19 which l disregarded.
“Both parties finally concluded on 16 per cent, amounting to N480,000, to which l demanded a Letter of Affirmation to the effects of the changes.
“At this point, all l could see was that she has never worked within the contract signed, meaning she could just wake up one morning and fabricate lies that will benefit her pocket.
“On 25 December, 2020, no repayment of N480,000 was received, neither was there any communication from pastor’s wife Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe, despite the fact that l reminded her on whatsApp chat on the 22 December, 2020 and she replied ‘Noted Sir’.
“I called and messaged her on the 25 December, 2020 but no response, even though she came online on several occasions.
“She replied, via WhatsApp, on the 26 December, 2020 that ‘Merry Xmas sir. I want to apologise for not getting through to us. Our sale was low during this December because government opened border that was closed. But as soon as we sell majority of the birds that covers the money, your account will be credited’.
“At this point, she didn’t pick calls anymore and only replied whenever it pleases. I took the first step by calling Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe’s mother to report the situation on the 29 December, 2020.
“She replied me via WhatsApp text immediately that: ‘By middle or January ending, the money will be credited to you. You can send people to the farm to confirm. This is strictly business. Do not involve my family and please stop the insult and the threat’.
“At this juncture, l decided to just collect the outstanding of the N480,000 which she promised and gave three month-notice of my investment withdrawal on the 29 December, 2020 for the total N4million naira which will be due on the 29 March, 2021, in accordance with the contract signed.
“And that l will still be expecting the outstanding of N480,000, as it was already obvious that she is a callous and dubious lady under the pretence of being a pastor’s wife.
“I took the second step by briefing my lawyer (Barrister Olukunle Kamisi) about this messy situation, which he took on immediately with our direction, to secure the total sum of N4,480,000 back.
“Few days before the end of January she promised, I sent her a reminder message, via WhatsApp, precisely on the 25 January, 2021. She replied: ‘Good morning sir. Note that you have liquidated your contract, you are not entitle to it. Only for your money which will be paid after three months of liquidation March 2021’.
“I replied: ‘You must be a joker. Be clearly reminded that the outstanding payment was already due before the withdrawal of the contract. So don’t try to be smart here’.
“After many attempt to reach her, the police finally visited the church on 7 February, 2021 at Elebu, Ibadan and invited her to Iyaganku Police Station, Ibadan.
“She attended the station and sworn to an affidavit of undertaken, dated 10 February, 2021, on how the payment will be made, along with her lawyer Barrister Tunde Olupona. We later found out she declared a fake address, that is where she used to live after getting married on 30 March, 2014.
“After the date stated on the affidavit, she at some point asked for another week from the police to pay but she never did and eventually refused to pick police officers’ calls again.
“Mr Adekola, who is the friend l made the investment on behalf of, took the third step, as advised by a RCCG pastor here in the UK who gave the telephone number of the pastor in charge of the province pastored by Pastor Adeboyejo Omigbiyegbe, in order for Mr Adekola to report the issue.
“He also gave him the RCCG email to report the situation, in case nothing tangible is done to resolve the issue by the province pastor.
“Mr Adekola contacted Pastor Popoola Folajuwon of RCCG Jesus Heritage, Youth Province 4 HQ, Oluyole Estate No. 6N Close, Off 7Up Road, Oluyole, Ibadan to report this matter, via a telephone conversation that lasted about 45 minutes.
“Pastor Popoola demanded that he wanted to speak with me, after he had a meeting with Pastor Adeboyejo Omigbiyegbe and Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe. He stated that they both said they will pay and that l didn’t inform them that l was investing on behalf of Mr Adekola.
“Same day, l got in touch with Pastor Popoola by WhatsApp and sent him a WhatsApp proof of how l explained to Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe, after she approached me about her business, requesting that l should please get her an investor.
“But to my surprise, Pastor Popoola Folajuwon never responded to my messages, neither did he take any further action on this matter, despite the fact that Mr Adekola put it to Pastor Folajuwon to intervene truthfully as expected by God without being biased.
“However, I was informed by a reliable source, that both Pastor Adeboyejo Omigbiyegbe and his wife, Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe, never intended to return the investment money, claiming all the birds were dead and since we don’t reside in Nigeria but UK, they will eventually get away with the money.
“They also believe they have some good family lawyer and police connections they need to get away with their attrocities.
“I took the fourth step through my uncle who got in touch with the DCR of the Federal High Court in Ibadan, who invited Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe on 6 July, 2021 for a meeting to hear her side of the story.
“She was acting by crying, claiming she has no job and is still seeking for job. She said she had sold her car and land and also cooked up different lies against me just to secure some self-pity.
“At the end of the meeting, the DCR told Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe to discuss with her husband on how they plan to make the payment. Up to date, no further meeting has been arranged, neither has there been any attempt to make any payment.
“Now I am taking this fifth step by getting in touch with the office of Daddy GO for intervention. As a Nigerian living in diaspora, looking at the Nigeria judiciary system, I don’t believe that l can get a fair judgment on this case in the court.
“Both Pastor Adeboyejo Omigbiyegbe and his wife, Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe, know how to manipulate the judiciary system by using their family and political contacts which l don’t have except God.
“This was the reason we finally decided to bring the matter to the high table of Daddy GO who we so much respect and trust his ministerial and fatherly roles to secure the outstanding sum of N4,480,000 back for us.”
Mr Adepoju also acknowledged in the petition that he was formerly married to Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe and that the marriage was dissolved on 18 December, 2013.
“The pastor’s, wife Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe, was my ex-wife, as we legally got divorce on 18 December, 2013 and it became an absolute on 18 March, 2014. In the court, she was awarded N500,000, before she re-married to Pastor Adeboyejo Omigbiyegbe on 30 March, 2014.
“In addition, as l earlier stated, Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe can deduct N500,000 of the divorce awarded money to her and return the balance of N3,900,000.00.
“Please, l am humbly requesting that the Office of Daddy GO carry out a thorough investigation and help secure the defrauded money back for us, without considering the emotional blackmailing Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe may display,” Adepoju said.
Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe however, said, while it is true that there was a business transaction between her and Mr Adebowale Adepoju, she is not aware that he did it on behalf of Mr Adekola.
She also said it was not true that she is owing up to N4.4million and claimed that she had paid two tranches of N400,000 and N200,000 back to Mr Adepoju as interest on the amount he invested in the poultry business.
Mrs Omigbiyegbe said Adepoju was her former husband who approached her to link him up with investment that can yield good returns, adding that she entered into the poultry business with him, against the advice of her present husband, Pastor Adeboyejo Omigbiyegbe.
“We were dating and eventually got married. He went to the UK and while he was there, he said he wanted to stay with a white woman so that he can get his work and stay permits. I was very young and naive then.
“He so much wasted my time. I approached the court for a divorce. I got the divorce and the court asked him to pay some damages but he refused to pay. He rather went back to the UK.
“After a long time, he returned to beg me. He came with his mother to beg me. He later asked me what good business he can invest in. He did not tell me that he was investing on behalf of anybody. I am not aware of any Mr Adekola.
“It is true that he invested N4.4 million in two tranches in the business and we agreed on the interest to be paid on the money invested.
“He asked for his interest apart from the real amount invested. I once paid him N400,000 and I also paid him N200,000 at another time. I have already paid him a total sum of N600,000. I don’t know why he is adding N480,000 on the amount invested.
“I made a mistake going into business with an ex; it was a mistake going into business with Adepoju who was my former husband. My husband warned me, but I did not listen.
“He should stop blackmailing me. Going to report me at the Church will not resolve the issue. It was a case of an investment that went bad. His lawyers visited the poultry farm and saw the dead birds. Even the police were there and they too saw the dead birds.
“He is owing me; the court ordered him to pay me some money, but he has not paid. I have accepted my fate; I have agreed to pay him the outstanding balance, which is less than the amount he is claiming that I owe him.
“If I have money, I will repay the money. I sold my land and some other property to invest in the poultry farm. I would have repaid if I had not resigned from my job as a banker,” Mrs Pelumi Omigbiyegbe said.
