Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Bornet .k
An Enugu State High Court sitting at Independence Layout, Enugu, has convicted and sentenced Godwin Sunday Ajuluchukwucheya, popularly known as Prophet Sunday Koboko, for fraudulently obtaining N136.4 million from members of his ministry through false claims and investment schemes.
The judgment was delivered by Justice H. O. Eya following a two-count charge filed by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the self-proclaimed prophet. The charges bordered on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.
The EFCC said Ajuluchukwucheya committed the offences between 2023 and February 2025 in Enugu State by allegedly deceiving unsuspecting members of his church into giving him money after claiming that he had won N30 billion from Baba Ijebu lotto game and that investors in his scheme would receive returns based on their financial contributions.
The anti-graft agency said the convict presented the investment arrangement as an opportunity for members to benefit financially, despite allegedly knowing that the claims were false. The offence was said to be 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 same law.
Ajuluchukwucheya pleaded guilty when the charges were read to him in court. Following his plea, EFCC counsel, Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE II) Rotimi Ajobiewe, urged the court to convict and sentence him according to the law.
Justice Eya subsequently found him guilty and sentenced him to one year imprisonment with an option of a N500,000 fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of his landed property, covered by a Customary Certificate of Occupancy dated 25 July 1989, to the Federal Government through the EFCC.
The court directed that the property should be sold and the proceeds used as restitution for victims of the fraud. The order was aimed at recovering part of the financial losses suffered by individuals who invested money based on the convict’s alleged false representations.
The case began after the EFCC received a petition from Mrs Ngene Nkiruka Jane, who alleged that Ajuluchukwucheya claimed to be a genuine man of God and convinced her that he had the spiritual ability to bring her late husband back to life. She told investigators that she paid N6.7 million for the alleged spiritual service and participation in the investment scheme.
Another petitioner, Okey Uwakwe, alleged that the convict promised he could spiritually influence his brother, who had travelled abroad in 1997, to return home. Uwakwe said he paid N6.23 million for the supposed spiritual intervention.
During the investigation, the EFCC said more members of Ajuluchukwucheya’s ministry came forward with similar complaints, accusing him of deceiving them through various products and spiritual claims.
The commission said the convict’s alleged method involved persuading members to purchase items marketed as spiritual and prosperity-enhancing products, including “miracle sticker,” “spiritual dragon,” and “Holy Ghost Thunder,” among others.
The conviction adds to ongoing efforts by Nigerian law enforcement agencies to tackle fraudulent activities involving individuals who use religious claims and investment schemes to obtain money from unsuspecting members of the public.
The EFCC has repeatedly warned Nigerians to be cautious of individuals who promise unrealistic financial gains or claim supernatural powers as a means of attracting investments.
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