“You Will Face the Law” — Police Tell Baptist Pastor, Others Over ₦620m Fraud

The Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday informed the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gwagwalada that Rev. Dr. Israel Akanji, former resident pastor of First Baptist Church, Garki, Abuja, alongside five others, has questions to answer regarding an alleged ₦620 million church fund fraud.

The police, through their counsel Veronica Bisan (standing in for prosecuting counsel Wisdom Madaki), told Justice J.A. Aina that its investigation revealed sufficient grounds to prosecute the defendants, who face a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, and criminal misappropriation.

The charge sheet marked CR/1045/24 alleges that in 2021, Rev. Akanji and his co-defendants — Rev. Thomas Takpatore, Mr. Babatunde Adebayo, Mrs. Adenike Adebayo, Mr. Oladele Afolabi, and Mrs. Gloria Olotu — conspired to commit a felony, a violation of Section 97 of the Penal Code.

According to the police, the fraudulent acts trace back as far as 2012 when the accused allegedly forged an amended version of the church’s constitution and falsely attributed its authorship to the late Barrister Akin Aina, who served as the church’s legal adviser and secretary of the Board of Trustees. This alleged act violates Sections 362 and 364 of the Penal Code.

The prosecution further stated that the defendants misappropriated ₦620 million belonging to the church between 2012 and 2021, converting the funds for personal gain in violation of Sections 308, 309, 311, and 312 of the Penal Code, which deal with criminal breach of trust and fraudulent conversion of property.

In addition, the police alleged that the forged constitution was used fraudulently in 2022, in breach of Section 366 of the Penal Code.

However, at Tuesday’s proceedings, which were scheduled for arraignment, defence counsel Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) filed a motion seeking to quash the charges, arguing that the case lacked merit and was politically motivated.

“This entire prosecution is the handiwork of a former church member who is no longer part of the church and is acting out of malice. The charges are baseless, and we are praying the court to dismiss them in their entirety,” Akintola argued.

In response, Bisan admitted that a formal counter-affidavit had not yet been filed by the police but insisted that their investigations provided credible evidence for prosecution. She requested a short adjournment to enable the police to respond appropriately to the motion.

“The defendants have questions to answer. Our findings clearly point to a case of criminal conduct. We ask the court for time to file our reply,” Bisan said.

Justice Aina, after listening to both parties, granted the prosecution’s request and adjourned the case to June 22, 2025, for further hearing.