The First Prosecution
Witness, PW1, Sulaiman Kwalla, in the trial of Bishop
Katung Jonas and Okewole Dayo, chairman and secretary
of Covenant Fadama Multi-purpose Cooperative Society, Jos, Plateau State,
respectively, on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, told Justice Sharon T.
Ishaya of the Federal High Court, sitting in Jos, Plateau State that many
of the victims of the alleged fraudulent cooperative society,
including him and his wife were lured into investing their resources in the
venture by the church sermons and religious influence
of Bishop Jonas.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is
prosecuting Bishop Jonas and Dayo, first and second defendants,
respectively on 23-count charge, bordering on obtaining money under
false pretence to the tune of ?178,885,000 (One Hundred and Seventy-eight
Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty-five Thousand Naira).
Led in his testimony by prosecution counsel,
Ibrahim Buba, the witness recalled that he invested
?200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand
Naira) and additional ?100,000 (One Hundred
Thousand) on behalf of his wife, Halima Ibrahim Danyaro, after watching
advertisements of the cooperative society on Plateau Radio Television
Corporation (PRTV). According to him, the adverts were mostly aired after
Bishop Katung’s televised sermons, in which he would
usually urge viewers to invest in the cooperative society.
“Based on the Bishop’s religious standing and the
promise of a 10 percent monthly return, I was convinced it was a genuine
investment. I filled a form and was directed to pay into Dadin Kowa
Microfinance Bank, said to be owned by the cooperative. I was issued official
receipts for both payments,” he said.
He, however, revealed that by the end of the
first month, neither he, his wife, nor any of the subscribers
received the promised dividend. He further disclosed that he visited
the cooperative society’s office on Secretariat Road, Jos, only to
meet a crowd of other disappointed investors.
According to him, on June 4, 2012, a large crowd of
agitated investors gathered at the office, demanding a refund of their money.
The situation nearly spiraled out of control, prompting armed policemen to
evacuate Dayo, the second defendant to safety. Dayo, he said,
was later detained at the Plateau State Police Headquarters following the
incident.
Further in his testimony, the witness said that a
meeting was subsequently held between the police, the investors and Bishop
Katung. During which the man of God admitted being the chairman of
the cooperative society and agreed to a repayment plan beginning from July
2012, which he said, the preacher didn’t fulfil.
“At every turn, there were new excuses. Eventually,
Bishop Katung introduced Lanre Global Concept, a consultancy firm he claimed
would help recover our funds from abroad. We refused, as we had no prior
dealings with the firm. Later, he introduced another scheme, Global View, where
he admitted to have channeled funds from the cooperative society into
forex trading. All these promises turned out to be fraudulent,” the witness
said.
He further disclosed that after several failed
repayment attempts, the investors, through their lawyer, Solomon Dalung,
petitioned the EFCC, alleging fraud of over ?8
billion and affecting no less than 44,000 investors.
He stated that while his ?200,000 investment was
eventually refunded through an official of the cooperative society, his
wife’s ?100,000 is still stuck with the defendants.
The attempt by the prosecution counsel to
tender the receipts of the payments made by the witness and his wife as
well as the petition written on behalf of the investors after they have
been duly identified by the witness, was thwarted by C.I. Nwogbo and
G.G. Achi, counsel for the first and second defendants, respectively, who
argued that the receipt in the name of the witness’s wife, Halima
Ibrahim Danyaro cannot be tendered since she was not the one testifying and was not
available in court. The petition to the EFCC, they further
argued, was inadmissible on the ground that it lacked
certification, in line with Section 104 of the Evidence Act and the
Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
The prosecution counsel, however, contended that
the witness had laid sufficient foundation to show that his wife was a
victim and that the receipt was the cooperative society’s evidence of her
payment. “The court should note that the receipt was issued by the cooperative
society. It is relevant to the charge of obtaining money under false pretence.
Relevancy is the bedrock of admissibility,” he said.
He further submitted that the petition
addressed to the EFCC was in its original form and, therefore, did not require
certification, noting that certification was only necessary
for reproduced copies and not originals.
Justice Ishaya, thereafter, adjourned the matter
to Wednesday, July 23, 2025, for ruling on the admissibility of the documents
and continuation of trial.
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