A prosecution witness on Tuesday told a Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State, how Bishop Katung Jonas allegedly exploited his religious influence to lure unsuspecting church members and the public into a fraudulent cooperative scheme that swindled investors out of ₦178.8 million.
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The witness, Sulaiman Kwalla, testified before Justice Sharon T. Ishaya as the first prosecution witness (PW1) in the ongoing trial of Bishop Katung Jonas and Okewole Dayo, chairman and secretary, respectively, of the Covenant Fadama Multi-purpose Cooperative Society. The duo are facing a 23-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bordering on obtaining money under false pretence.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Ibrahim Buba, Kwalla narrated how he and his wife, Halima Ibrahim Danyaro, were convinced to invest ₦200,000 and ₦100,000 respectively after watching repeated adverts on Plateau Radio Television Corporation (PRTV) promoting the cooperative scheme. The adverts were usually aired immediately after the televised sermons of Bishop Jonas.
“Based on the Bishop’s religious standing and the promise of a 10 percent monthly return, I was convinced it was a genuine investment,” Kwalla said. He added that he made the payments into an account with Dadin Kowa Microfinance Bank, which was claimed to be owned by the cooperative, and received official receipts.
However, by the end of the first month, neither Kwalla, his wife, nor other investors received the promised dividends. A visit to the cooperative’s office on Secretariat Road, Jos, revealed scores of other disgruntled subscribers facing similar issues.
Kwalla recalled that on June 4, 2012, angry investors besieged the cooperative’s office, demanding refunds. The situation escalated, prompting armed police officers to intervene and evacuate the second defendant, Dayo, who was later detained at the Plateau State Police Headquarters.
He told the court that a meeting was subsequently held involving the police, investors, and Bishop Jonas. During the meeting, the cleric admitted to being the chairman of the cooperative and promised to begin repayments by July 2012 — a promise he failed to keep.
“Each time, he gave new excuses. Then he introduced Lanre Global Concept, claiming the firm would help recover our funds from abroad. We rejected the idea as we had no prior dealings with them,” Kwalla said. “Later, he brought in another scheme, Global View, where he admitted diverting our funds into forex trading. All these were empty promises.”
Kwalla further testified that after failed repayment attempts, the investors, through their counsel Solomon Dalung, petitioned the EFCC, alleging a fraud involving over ₦8 billion and affecting more than 44,000 investors.
He confirmed that while his own ₦200,000 investment was eventually refunded through an official of the cooperative, his wife’s ₦100,000 remains unpaid.
The trial continues.
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