Police arrest fake priest for attempted fraud

 Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Marvel Akpoyibo


The police in Lagos State on Monday arrested a fake Catholic priest, Michael Ekpo, for attempting to defraud a housewife identified simply as Lillian.

PUNCH METRO gathered that Lillian had gone to Afribank, Awolowo, Ikoyi branch, to withdraw almost all the money in her account and insisted that the cashier should give her only new naira notes.

The banker became curious and after probing Lillian, he discovered that she wanted to give all the money to a priest, who wanted to pray for her.

The priest, who parked his car in front of the bank, was arrested by the police from Onikan after they were alerted by the bank’s officials.

Lillian told PUNCH METRO that Ekpo advised her to get new naira notes because unknown to many people, they have special oil.

She alleged that Ekpo said once the money was soaked in water, the oil would come out and the water would be used to pray for her.

“He said I should clear all the money in my account and leave only N10,000. He said he would soak the new notes inside water so that the oil would come out. He would then use the water to pray for me and return the money to me,” Lillian said.

When our correspondent asked her why she did not probe the priest further, she said at that point she had lost all sense of logic.

Lillian said, “I met the priest at IMB Bus Stop in Victoria Island as I was alighting from a commercial bus. He called me and asked for the direction to a Catholic Church. Of course, I did not know the church, but before I could say it, another man came and said he would take us there.

“That was how I followed them; it was as if I did not know what I was doing again.”

She said on their way to the church, the priest prayed for her and said he needed special oil, which could only be got from new naira notes.

But the 50-year-old fake priest denied telling Lillian that he was a priest.

Ekpo said, “She saw a chaplet and assumed that I was a priest and I did not discourage her. She said I should pray for her to have a baby boy and she was the one that offered to donate money to an NGO that I told her I was running.

“I did not force her at all. I was then surprised that she got to the bank and was telling different stories.”

The spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Frank Mba, said Ekpo was a habitual fraudster.

He added, “He was arrested and charged to court. But as soon as he secured bail, he went back to familiar terrain. We will charge him to court again, but this time, we will argue for a stricter bail condition.

“We are also on the lookout for his accomplices. We will arrest them soon.”

Source:http://www.punchng.com