– The Bishop of Maranatha Church, Jonas Katung, and the managing director of Dadin Kowa Microfinance Bank Limited, Irmiya Jatau, were remanded in prison
– They were accused of defrauding hundreds of depositors
– The suspects were slammed with 24 counts before Justice Musa Kurya
The Bishop of Maranatha Church, Jonas Katung, and the managing director of Dadin Kowa Microfinance Bank Limited, Irmiya Jatau, have been remanded in prison for defrauding hundreds of depositors.
The Punch reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Jos, the Plateau state capital, ordered the prison remand of the suspects on Wednesday, February 3.
Joined with them in the charge are Dadin Kowa Microfinance Bank Limited and one Okewole Dayo.
In one of 24 counts filed against the accused, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that the accused conspired to defraud over 64,000 customers of the defunct Covenant Fadama Cooperative Society to the tune of N11.5 bn.
Apart from that, the suspects were accused of transferring the sum of N50m from Covenant Fadama Cooperative Society into the Dadin Kowa Microfinance.
When Justice Musa Kurya read the charges to them, all the accused persons pleaded not guilty, except Bishop Katung, who pleaded guilty to one of the counts. However, he suddenly changed his mind and pleaded not guilty like others.
Katung had been earlier granted bail before the case was adjourned till Wednesday.
L. P. Asor, the EFCC prosecutor, said that Jatau was not covered by the bail application earlier granted to the accused people because no charge was preferred against him. He added that the charges against the bank MD were only filed two days before.
Opposing the bail application, Asor argued that the bail granted to the bishop should also apply to the bank MD since he is one of the co-accused people in the case.
After hearing the argument from the defence and prosecution counsels, the judge ruled in favour of the prosecution and ordered that Jatau be remanded in prison.
The case was adjourned till March 7 for further hearing.
Another Man of God, Pastor Felix Olu Fadare of the Redeemed Christian church of God was involvedt in the N100m land fraud scam.
Fadare was apprehended by operatives of the Special Fraud Unit and arraigned before Igbosere magistrates court.
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