A self-acclaimed prophet, Godwin Sunday Ajuluchukwucheya, popularly known as Prophet Sunday Koboko, has been convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment by an Enugu State High Court for defrauding members of his ministry of N136.4 million through fraudulent investment and false spiritual claims.
Justice H. O. Eya of the Enugu State High Court, sitting at Independence Layout, Enugu, convicted the cleric after he pleaded guilty to a two-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and stealing.
The prosecution, conducted by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), told the court that the convict obtained N136,436,000 from unsuspecting church members between 2023 and February 2025 by falsely claiming he had won N30 billion in the Baba Ijebu lottery and promising investors substantial returns.
Part of the charge reads:
“Godwin Sunday Ajuluchukwucheya, sometime between 2023 to February 2025 in Enugu, Enugu State, within the jurisdiction of the Enugu State High Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N136,436,000 from unsuspecting members of your church under the false pretence that you have won N30,000,000,000 in Baba Ijebu lotto game and that investors in your investment scheme will receive dividends according to their investments, which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence.”
The offence is 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 Act.
Following the defendant’s guilty plea, EFCC counsel, Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE II), Rotimi Ajobiewe, urged the court to convict and sentence him.
Justice Eya subsequently sentenced Ajuluchukwucheya 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 July 25, 1989, registered as No. 92 at page 92 in Volume 512 of the Enugu Land Registry.
The judge directed that the property be sold and the proceeds used to compensate victims of the fraud.
According to the EFCC, investigations commenced following a petition by one of the victims, Mrs. Ngene Nkiruka Jane, who alleged that the convict presented himself as a genuine man of God and convinced her that he possessed the spiritual power to resurrect her late husband.
She told investigators that she paid N6.7 million for the purported resurrection and other spiritual services, including participation in the investment scheme.
Another petitioner, Okey Uwakwe, alleged that the cleric promised to use spiritual means to bring back his brother, who travelled abroad in 1997.
He reportedly paid N6.23 million for the alleged intervention.
The anti-graft agency said more members of the ministry later came forward with similar complaints, leading investigators to uncover what they described as a fraudulent operation built around false prophecies and deceptive investment promises.
The EFCC said its investigation revealed that Ajuluchukwucheya persuaded followers to purchase various items marketed as prosperity products, including “miracle sticker,” “spiritual dragon,” and “holyghost thunder,” among others.
The commission said the conviction underscores its commitment to investigating and prosecuting individuals who exploit religion and public trust to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.