The General Overseer of Faith On The Rock Ministry International, Theophilus Ebonyi, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of defrauding church members and other Nigerians. According to EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, the pastor was apprehended for purportedly utilizing fake grants from the Ford Foundation amounting to N1,319,040,274.31. The statement released by Oyewale on Monday in Abuja revealed that Ebonyi is accused of deceiving his victims, including non-governmental organizations and individuals, by promoting an intervention project through his NGO, Theobarth Global Foundation. He allegedly claimed that the Ford Foundation was offering a $20 billion grant to aid the less-privileged in society and persuaded his victims to enroll as beneficiaries of the fictitious grant by requiring them to pay for registration forms and clusters, with each subscriber paying N1,800,000. This scheme reportedly enabled Ebonyi to amass N1,391,040,274.31 from unsuspecting Nigerians and NGOs across the country.

The EFCC's investigations indicated that the Ford Foundation had no association, grant, relationship, or business with the general overseer. The Foundation explicitly disavowed him and his NGO, emphasizing that it had no connection with them. The commission also uncovered five properties acquired by Ebonyi as proceeds of his alleged criminal activities. Despite his arrest, Ebonyi is purportedly still reaching out to his subscribers on various social media platforms to promote his purported grant from the Ford Foundation. Oyewale stated that Ebonyi would be charged to court once investigations are concluded.

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