How Winners Chapel’s Pastor Allegedly Duped Varsity Of N19.3m | READ DETAILS

An Associate pastor of the Living Faith Church, also known as Winner’s Chapel, Temidayo Eseyin, has been arraigned before a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for allegedly duping Landmark University, Omu-Aran,  of N19.3 million.

According to a petition to the EFCC, Eseyin, a lawyer and former member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ilorin Branch, cheated, defrauded, misappropriated and shortchanged the varsity in his capacity as a counsel/Attorney to Landmark University wherein he had access to the institution’s properties, title documents and funds.

Specifically in one of his alleged atrocities, the defendant, between 2014 – 2022 managed a property known as “Old Midland Building” belonging to Landmark University, situated along Emir’s/Obbo Road, Ilorin, which rents, Mr. Eseyin collected for eight years but could not it produce when asked.

The petitioner also alleged that Mr. Eseyin attempted to sell the property without instructions from the University, hence, the petition to the EFCC.

He was however docked on a four-count charge bordering on dishonest misappropriation of funds belonging to the University.

Count three of the charge sheet read;

“That you, Temidayo Eseyin sometime in the year 2021, in Ilorin Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court dishonestly misappropriated the sum of Six Million, Sixty Four Thousand Naira Only (6, 064,000) representing payment of rent on property known as Old Midland Building belonging to Landmark University and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Penal Code Law and Punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”

The accused however pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Rashidat Alao, urged the court to fix a date for trial, while praying the court to remand the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre pending trial.

However, Eseyin’s lawyer, Femi Makinde, moved an application for the bail of the defendant and prayed the court to admit his client to bail pending trial.

Ruling on the application, Justice Funsho Lawal granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties in the sum of N5 million each. The sureties must have landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.

The judge, while adjourning the case to a date, which would be communicated to the parties, ordered that the defendant should be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending the perfection of his bail conditions.