Why Pastor Adeboye Returned Billions in Church Donations After EFCC Intervention
Why would a church return a donation worth billions of naira? For Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the answer reportedly came after the money’s source raised serious concerns.
Pastor Enoch Adebayo
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, disclosed that Adeboye ordered the refund after investigations traced the donation to proceeds of financial crime.
Olukoyede revealed this while addressing RCCG workers on Saturday, November 7, during a meeting organised ahead of the church’s annual Holy Ghost Congress.
According to the EFCC chairman, the money was donated by a church member towards an RCCG project before investigations established its questionable origins.
He commended Adeboye for directing the refund after the church received information about the source of the funds, describing the response as commendable.
Olukoyede, an ordained pastor, also expressed concern over financial misconduct involving religious leaders, including allegations surrounding contracts awarded for church projects.
He warned church workers against accepting suspicious donations or engaging in questionable financial transactions, emphasising the importance of accountability in religious institutions.
The EFCC chairman further recalled another case involving a church allegedly connected to a Ponzi scheme, whose leader initially resisted the commission’s intervention.
He said the church eventually refunded a substantial amount after the commission threatened legal action, reiterating that religious positions would not protect anyone from financial investigations.
Olukoyede also identified materialism, unhealthy competition and leadership struggles as practices that could encourage financial misconduct within religious organisations.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede
He urged pastors to investigate the sources of substantial donations before accepting them, regardless of the donor’s financial status or standing within the congregation.
Adeboye reportedly maintained that the RCCG would not protect anyone found involved in financial wrongdoing.
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