By Niyi Olaiya
A Magistrate Court, sitting in Ado Ekiti has ordered the remand of an Ondo State based Pastor in correctional center over swindling of people through his fake orphanage home.
Magistrate Awosika K.O of court 4, ordered that the man should be remanded in prison till 10th Aug, 2023 for hearing.
The suspect, named Ologun, had sponsored a radio jingle few years back that people should come forward to help his bogus orphanage home based in Ayegunle, Oka Akoko in Ondo State.
Reports say that the radio jingle on a popular radio station in Ekiti attracted many unsuspecting members of the public who approached the suspect for the adoption of some of the orphans in order to help the orphanage.
The cat was however let out of the bag when a year after the programme, victims approached the producer of the programme that they had paid various sums for adoption of children from the orphanage without and fruitful result.
It was alleged that the Pastor always gathered strayed children together to pose as the inmates of his non-existing orphanage home.
Those who fell victims include Mrs. Olusola Balogun from Lagos, who he swindled N550,000; Sister Ruth from Lagos –N600,000; Mrs. Ogunleye from Ado-Ekiti –N600,000; Mr. Okunola from Ado Ekiti – N650,000; Mrs. Bamisile from Aramoko Ekiti – N350,000 and others yet unknown.
The deluge of complaints from the victims to the radio producer backed with evidence of payment forced the producer to report the matter to the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, Mr. Ogundare Dare Emmanuel, who ordered for the arrest of the suspect.
When contacted the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sunday Abutu confirmed the matter.
