Feb. 7, 2024

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says the General Overseer of the Faith on the Rock Ministry International, Apostle Theophilus Ebonyi, was arrested by the commission in June 2023 over fraud allegation, but released on bail.

Though not recently arrested, the EFCC Spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the explanation followed the denial by Ebonyi that he was never arrested by the EFCC.

The overseer’s denial was in reaction to the statement by the EFCC spokesman issued on Feb. 5, about the arrest, which created the impression that the incident was recent.

Oyewale, however, said the pastor’s claim that he was never arrested was not true because EFCC arrested him in June 2023 over alleged financial crime and was only released on bail.

“Mr Ebonyi was on bail having been arrested and then released last year.

“He had been arrested over a long period of time, but because of the investigation that we were doing, we did not issue any statement,” he added.

The pastor had in a video posted on Facebook and a voice note on social media said he was not arrested by the EFCC or any other anti-graft agency.

“That publication out there on the Feb. 5, is not true, it is a lie. I am very fine, I am Okay, I am not in the EFCC custody. I am here with my lawyer, we are discussing the modalities,” he said in the video.(NAN)