A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Okewole Dayo and Plateau cleric, Bishop Katung Jonas, has narrated how the cleric allegedly lured him into an investment fraud.

Bishop Katung is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly using his religious platform and televised sermons to convince people to invest in a cooperative scheme.

In a statement shared by the anti-graft commission on Friday, it was revealed that the prosecution witness, Fasaki Olutayo Jacob, narrated before Justice Sharon T. Ishaya of the Federal High Court, Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday.

Jacob, a 68-year-old retired civil servant, told the court that he became acquainted with the second defendant, Bishop Katung, through a televised sermon on Plateau Radio and Television (PRTV).

“I got to know Bishop Katung through Plateau TV broadcast station, where I watched one of his sermons. The message he delivered that day made me believe that Fadama Multi-purpose Cooperative Society was real,” said Jacob.

He added that he later visited the Maranata Church located at Number 10 Miyangu Street, Jos, where he met the Bishop in person and was convinced to invest in the cooperative. According to the prosecution witness, the Bishop presented the cooperative as a faith-based investment platform.

“I was directed to the Secretariat, where I met the first defendant, Dayo, who told me that all monies should be paid through Fadama Multi-purpose Cooperative Society.

“I went to the bank, Dadin Kowa Microfinance Bank, made a payment of N1 million, and was issued a receipt. Later, in June 2011, I added N200,000, making a total of N1.2 million,” he added.

The retiree also told the court that Bishop Katung promised him and other investors a 10 per cent monthly return on their investment, and they were issued small record cards where their interests were recorded.

The payment, however, stopped in 2012, prompting Dayo to summon investors to a meeting at the Lamide Hotel in Jos, where he pleaded for patience, assuring them that all outstanding payments would be made, according to the 68-year-old.

Jacob and other investors were aggrieved by this, and police operatives had to intervene in the case to prevent Dayo from being mobbed by angry investors, Jacob explained.

He added that the EFCC was invited to continue with the investigation because the police could not resolve it. During a reconciliation meeting, Bishop Katung assured the affected investors that the cooperative had assets and provided them with a copy of a land property document.

“He (Bishop Katung) said we could help find a buyer so he could pay investors. But when the property was eventually sold, we didn’t get any money,” Jacob said.

Jacob is the second witness to testify against the Plateau Bishop in court. The first prosecution witness, Sulaiman Kwalla, had appeared in court in July. (The Guardian, but headline rejigged)