A prosecution witness, Sulaiman Kwalla, on Tuesday, told the Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State, how Bishop Katung Jonas used his religious influence to lure thousands, including Kwalla and his wife, into a failed cooperative scheme.
Testifying before Justice Sharon T. Ishaya, Kwalla alleged that Jonas, alongside co-defendant Okewole Dayo, promoted the Covenant Fadama Multi-purpose Cooperative Society through televised sermons and adverts promising 10% monthly returns.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the duo on a 23-count charge bordering on obtaining N178.8 million under false pretence.
“He invested ₦200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) and additional ₦100,000 (One Hundred Thousand) on behalf of his wife, Halima Ibrahim Danyaro, after watching advertisements of the cooperative society on Plateau Radio Television Corporation (PRTV). I filled a form and was directed to pay into Dadin Kowa Microfinance Bank. I was issued official receipts for both payments,” EFCC report noted.
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However, by the end of the first month, no returns were paid. On 4 June 2012, a crowd of angry investors stormed the cooperative’s Jos office, prompting police intervention and the arrest of Dayo.
Kwalla said Bishop Jonas admitted to chairing the cooperative and proposed a repayment plan from July 2012, which never materialised.
He later introduced dubious schemes like Lanre Global Concept and Global View, claiming funds were diverted to forex trading.
Despite several failed repayment attempts, Kwalla only recovered his N200,000, while his wife’s N100,000 remains unpaid. He said over 44,000 investors were affected, with total losses alleged to exceed N8 billion.
