Ogun state Pastor arrested for N200m WAEC scam

A pastor with one of the largest pentecostal churches in the country has been nabbed by the police in connection with the N200m West African Examinations Council fee fraud in Ogun State.

So far, over N20m had been discovered by detectives in a personal bank account of the pastor (names withheld) who is one of the four directors in the Ministry of Education.

Also, four expensive cars were said to have been discovered in the garage in the pastor’s house.

Our correspondent learnt from police sources that huge sums of money ranging from N10m to N15m had similarly been discovered in the bank accounts of three other directors allegedly involved in the fraud.

Police sources said when the pastor was questioned over the N20m found in his bank account, he merely pleaded for forgiveness.

Also, police were said to be on the trail of some proprietors of private schools in the state for their alleged connivance with the four directors to perpetrate the WAEC fee fraud.

A police source said, “We have made appreciable progress on the large-scale fraud and I want to tell you that we are not resting on our oars to get the cabal within the state ministry of education as well as their private school collaborators.”

The Ogun State Government had on Tuesday said it uncovered the huge fraud in the payment of the WAEC fees for students in its secondary schools.

According to the government, the discovery of the fraudulent practices allegedly perpetrated by officials in the state education sector, spanned at least the last three academic sessions.

But the Ogun Police Command Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, told our correspondent on the phone that he was not aware of the alleged scam.

Adejobi, a deputy superintendent of police, however said, “I’m not aware of the matter. The policemen handling the matter are from where?”

Punch