Winners Church Pastor Charged to Court for allegedly defrauding Church University N19.3m
An Ilorin-based Associate Pastor with the Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, Temidayo Eseyin, has been docked for allegedly defrauding Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State to the tune of N19.3million.
He was arraigned before Justice Funsho Lawal of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Command.
Eseyin, a lawyer and former member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ilorin Branch, was docked on a four-count charge bordering on dishonest misappropriation of funds belonging to the University.
In a petition to the EFCC, it was alleged that Mr. Eseyin, as a counsel/Attorney to Landmark University, Omu-Aran had access to its properties, title documents and funds.
In that assumed capacity, it was alleged that Mr. Eseyin was cheating, defrauding, misappropriating and shortchanging his client.
Specifically in one of his alleged atrocities, the defendant, between 2014 – 2022 managed a property known as “Old Midland Building” belonging to Landmark University, situated along Emir’s/Obbo Road, Ilorin, which rents, Mr. Eseyin collected for eight years but could not it produce when asked.
The petitioner also alleged that Mr. Eseyin attempted to sell the property without instructions from the University, hence, the petition to the EFCC.
Count three of the charge sheet reads, “That you, Temidayo Eseyin sometime in the year 2021, in Ilorin Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court dishonestly misappropriated the sum of Six Million, Sixty Four Thousand Naira Only (6, 064,000) representing payment of rent on property known as Old Midland Building belonging to Landmark University and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Penal Code Law and Punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Following his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Rashidat Alao, urged the court to fix a date for trial, while praying the court to remand the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre pending trial.
However, Eseyin’s lawyer, Femi Makinde, moved an application for the bail of the defendant and prayed the court to admit his client to bail pending trial.
Justice Lawal, while ruling on the application, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties in the sum of N5 million each.
The judge ordered that the sureties must have landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.
The judge, while adjourning the case to a date, which would be communicated to the parties, ordered that the defendant should be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
