The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of self-acclaimed prophet, Godwin Sunday Ajuluchukwucheya, popularly known as Prophet Sunday Koboko, for defrauding members of his church of N136.4 million through false pretences and fraudulent investment schemes.
Justice H.O. Eya of the Enugu State High Court, sitting in Independence Layout, convicted and sentenced Ajuluchukwucheya after he pleaded guilty to a two-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and stealing.
According to the EFCC, the convict fraudulently obtained N136,436,000 from unsuspecting church members between 2023 and February 2025 by falsely claiming he had won N30 billion in the Baba Ijebu lottery and promising investors substantial returns through a purported investment scheme.
The Commission told the court that the claims were entirely false and were used to induce victims to part with their money.
One of the charges stated that Ajuluchukwucheya intentionally deceived members of his church into believing they would receive dividends based on their investments, an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Act.
Following the defendant’s guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Rotimi Ajobiewe, urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Justice Eya sentenced the convict to one year imprisonment with an option of a N500,000 fine.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s landed property, covered by a Customary Certificate of Occupancy dated July 25, 1989, to the Federal Government through the EFCC.
The property is to be sold, with the proceeds used to compensate victims of the fraud.
The prosecution revealed that investigations began after a petition was filed by Mrs. Ngene Nkiruka Jane, who alleged that the self-acclaimed prophet convinced her he possessed the spiritual power to resurrect her deceased husband.
She further claimed that he persuaded her to invest in a fraudulent scheme promising financial rewards while demanding payments for the purported resurrection process.
According to the petition, she lost N6.7 million to the scheme.
Another victim, Okey Uwakwe, alleged that the convict promised to use spiritual powers to compel his brother, who had lived abroad since 1997, to return to Nigeria.
He reportedly paid N6,231,400 for the purported spiritual intervention.
The EFCC said that as investigations progressed, numerous members of the convict’s ministry came forward with similar complaints, alleging they had been deceived into purchasing so-called spiritual items and miracle products.
Investigators discovered that Ajuluchukwucheya’s fraudulent operation relied heavily on the sale of purported prosperity-enhancing products, including “miracle stickers,” “spiritual dragon,” “Holy Ghost Thunder,” and other items, which he claimed possessed supernatural powers capable of delivering wealth, protection and miracles.
The anti-graft agency said the conviction underscores its commitment to protecting members of the public from fraudsters who exploit religion and false spiritual claims to defraud unsuspecting victims.
