By Damilare Adeleye
Lead Pastor of Harvesters International Christian Center (HICC), Pastor Bolaji Idowu, has refuted allegations of involvement in a N1.5 billion real estate fraud.
The pastor, on Wednesday morning, addressed the allegations while leading the church’s ‘Next-Level Prayers’ which is held every weekday.
The cleric was alleged to have been summoned for interrogation by the Force Criminal Investigative Department (FCID) on Tuesday over an alleged real estate scheme and money laundering.
The FCID allegedly grilled the pastor following petitions by some of the victims of the alleged fraud. Reports indicated that Pastor Idowu was released on Tuesday night from police custody after interventions from prominent clerics in the country.
Speaking on Wednesday, the pastor said all the allegations were false.
He said, “Over the last 24 hours, there has been a lot of news about me on social media. I just want to state some facts clearly. I heard that I was involved in real estate fraud. Number one, I do not have, and anyone that has contrary views can produce it, any property in Nigeria.
“The only property I have in Nigeria was the one my family bequeathed to me. There is no property that I have in Nigeria. Secondly, I do not sell or buy properties. I’m not in the business of buying and selling properties.
“Someone said, I received billions into my account. My accounts are public, you can go and check if I ever received billions into my account because I did not. There are just a lot of things going on in the press, but this is not the forum to address it.”
Expressing gratitude to his supporters, he thanked those who had reached out with messages of encouragement.
“I want to thank all of you that showed a lot of love. We are victorious,” he said, adding that he remained undeterred by the controversy.
Idowu also acknowledged the public nature of the allegations and the scrutiny it has attracted.
“As you are reading it, I’m also reading it, like wow,” he remarked.
