Pastor arraigned for stealing over N200m

The police in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja have charged a 40-year old pastor, Mr. Paul Agada, with allegedly stealing over N200 million belonging to his employer. Agada was employed as general manager in-charge of Business Development and Strategy over a chain of businesses owned by Goomeej Nigeria Limited.

They include Lugard Beach Hotels in Lokoja and Mr. Biggs outlets in Lokoja, Okene, Abuja and Lagos. In the charge, No. CR/103/2013, Inspector- General of Police vs Pastor Paul Agada, the accused was charged with 21 counts of forgery, stealing, dishonesty, among others. He has, however, pleaded ‘not guilty’ to all the offences and was granted bail by the trial judge, Justice M. M. Koko.
The trial judge who is currently on election petition duty has adjourned the trial sine die. Some of the charges against the pastor are:

Count 1 “That you Pastor Paul Agada ‘m’, sometime in the year 2010 in Abuja within the judicial division of this court with intent to defraud did forge petty expenses vouchers belonging to GOOMEEJ Nig Ltd. (your employer and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 364 of the Penal Code Law.”

Count 2: “That you Pastor Paul Agada ‘m’, sometime in the year sometime in the year 2010 in Abuja within the judicial division of this court with intent to defraud did forge internal memo dated 25/02/2010 belonging to GOOMEEJ Nig Ltd (your employer) and thereby committee an offence punishable under section 364 of the Penal Code Law.”

Count 3 “That you Pastor Paul Agada ‘m’, sometime in the year sometime in the year 2010 in Abuja within the judicial division of this court did steal the sum of One Hundred and Ninety Nine Million (N199,536,499.00) property of GOOMEEJ Nig. Ltd (your employers) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 289 of the Penal Code Law.”

In Count four, he was accused of stealing his employer’s 5.5 KVA generator worth N120,000 while counts five and six charged him with stealing his employers’ N100,000 and N600,000 respectively.

In other counts, he was charged with stealing various sums of money belonging to his employers. Meanwhile, a fire in a house in Iba area of Lagos yesterday killed an 86-year-old landlady and destroyed properties worth millions of naira. Sunday Telegraph learnt that the entire 10 rooms located at Dickson Adebayo Street, Iba New Site were razed in the inferno that lasted for several hours before the arrival of the Lagos State Fire Service, which eventually put out the fire.

It was learnt that while many residents ran out of the burning house in confusion, the 86-year-old landlady, Mrs. Aiyeola James, was left alone in the house as nobody remembered the octogenarian.
One of her aides was said to be out of the area when the incident occurred. Speaking with Sunday Telegraph, the director of the Lagos Fire Service, Mr. Razak Fadipe, who confirmed the incident, said two fire trucks containing 10,000 litres of water each were quickly deployed to the scene of the incident to stop the fire.

He said: “It was a bungalow building comprising 10 rooms. The fire started from one of the rooms. It was learnt that the kids were playing with matches in one of the rooms which ignited fire and caught a mattress. It then spread to other parts of the building. “You know the elderly woman may not have been strong enough to run out of the building like other occupants.

Our message to Lagos residents is that they should safety concious. People must be interested in where their neighbours keep their petroleum products. We also discovered a 10-litre of petrol in the building.”


- News Telegraph