Enugu Prophet Gets Jail Term for N136m Fraud
The long arm of the law has caught up with a self-acclaimed prophet, Godwin Sunday Ajuluchukwucheya, also known as Prophet Sunday Koboko.
He was convicted for allegedly defrauding members of his ministry of N136.4 million.
Ajuluchukwucheya was sentenced to one year imprisonment by Justice H. O. Eya of the Enugu State High Court, sitting at Independence Layout.
The sentence followed a case brought against him by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The cleric faced two charges bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing. The offences were allegedly committed between 2023 and February 2025 in Enugu State.
The EFCC told the court that Ajuluchukwucheya collected N136,436,000 from members of his church by allegedly making false representations about a N30 billion Baba Ijebu lottery win and an investment scheme which he claimed would yield dividends for participants.
When the charges were read to him, the defendant pleaded guilty.
Based on his plea, the EFCC counsel, Assistant Commander Rotimi Ajobiewe, asked the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Justice Eya thereafter found him guilty and handed down a one-year prison sentence, with an option of a N500,000 fine.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of one of his landed properties to the Federal Government through the EFCC.
The property is to be sold and the proceeds channelled towards restitution for those who were allegedly defrauded.
The investigation began after Mrs Ngene Nkiruka Jane petitioned the EFCC against the cleric. She alleged that Ajuluchukwucheya presented himself as a genuine man of God and convinced her that he had the spiritual power to bring her deceased husband back to life.
She further alleged that the cleric persuaded her to put money into an investment arrangement promoted within the ministry.
According to her petition, she parted with N6.7 million in connection with the scheme and the claim involving her late husband.
In a separate complaint, Okey Uwakwe alleged that the prophet promised to use his spiritual powers to bring back his brother, who had reportedly travelled outside Nigeria in 1997. Uwakwe said he paid N6.23 million for the purported spiritual intervention.
The EFCC said the investigation took a wider turn as other members of the ministry reportedly approached the agency with accounts of how they had allegedly lost money to the convict.
Investigators also found that Ajuluchukwucheya allegedly marketed various items to his followers as products capable of attracting prosperity. Among the items mentioned were “miracle sticker,” “spiritual dragon” and “Holy Ghost thunder.”
With his conviction, the court has now ordered that the proceeds from the sale of the forfeited property be used to provide restitution to victims of the scheme.
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