Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested the Founder of TheoBarth Grant in Nigeria, Apostle Theophilus Ebonyi, for duping unsuspecting members of the public.
Ebonyi is also the General Overseer of Faith On The Rock Ministry International.
Apostle Theophilus Oloche Ebonyi defrauded church members and other Nigerians using fake grants from the Ford Foundation to the tune of N1.3 billion.
According to a statement by EFCC’s Spokesman, Dele Oyewale, the suspect was arrested for defrauding his victims, comprising non-governmental organisations and individuals by advertising a fake $20 billion intervention project through his Theobarth Global Foundation, claiming that grant was offered to the less privileged persons from the United States’ Ford Foundation.
The statement said the suspect allegedly deceived his victims to subscribe as beneficiaries of the phony grant by asking them to pay for registration forms and clusters. Each subscriber was made to pay N1.8 million through which he smiled to his bank to the tune of N1.3 billion from innocent and unsuspecting Nigerians and NGOs across the country.
“Investigations by the EFCC showed that Ford Foundation had no arrangement, grant, relationship or business with Ebonyi. The Foundation pointedly disclaimed him and his NGO stressing that it had no link whatsoever with them,” the EFCC statement said on Monday.
The commission said it has also traced five properties Ebonyi acquired with the proceeds of his criminal dealings.
Despite his arrest by the agency, Ebonyi is reportedly still reaching his subscribers on some social media platforms to market his spurious grant from ‘Ford Foundation’.
The statement said that the suspect would soon be arraigned once investigations were concluded.
