Godwin Tsa, Abuja

A clergyman, Rev. Okechukwu Obioha is currently in police net for allegedly defrauding unsuspecting members of the public by using a registered cooperative society as a political group, contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian Cooperative Societies Act.

His arrest by the police followed a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) by one Obiezu Nwachukwu, an indigene of the southeast of Nigeria, for himself and other members of the group, Youths For Better Nigeria, a non-governmental organization focused on transparency, accountability and unity of Nigeria.

The said petition asked the IGP to investigate the nefarious and reprehensible activities of Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha.

In the said petition, it was stated that SEFORP2023, is a registered acronym under the Nigerian Cooperative Societies Act. It was further stated that by the said Act, cooperative societies are only limited to the socio-economic interest of its members. Hence, cooperative societies are forbidden from meddling or dabbling into politics, infraction of which is a criminal offence.

The petitioner said that sequel to the registration of SEFORP2023 in 2019, by Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha, he fraudulently converted the cooperative society to a political group, through which he has consistently been extorting monies from unsuspecting Southeast politicians on the guise of organizing conferences and seminars for the emergence of a southeast president, in 2023.

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The petitioner said that the said Rev Obioha, who was arrested in Enugu state, has also been using the said group to illegally recruit youths preparatory to the 2023 presidential elections. The petitioner believes that recruiting youths preparatory to the 2023 presidential election, will likely cause a breach of public peace and violence.

The petition further revealed that upon the registration of the SEFORP2023, in 2019, by the said Okechukwu Christopher Obioha, that he opened several bank accounts using the registered name through which he has been laundering huge sums of monies extorted from the unsuspecting politicians. One of those accounts is SEFORP2023 Multi-Purpose Cooperative SocietyLtd, First Bank, 2034516784. The petitioner said that the said Okechukwu Christopher Obioha, who is also the president of SERFOP2023, has printed flyers by which he has consistently been misleading and extorting monies from politicians of the southeast extraction in the guise of organizing political conferences., contrary to the Nigerian Cooperative Societies Act. Copies of the flyers were attached as Annexure A.

The said Rev Obioha, according to the petitioners has allegedly deceived people into believing that the cooperative society of which he is the president, is a political group formed for the realization of Igbo presidency in 2023, whereas the group is registered as a cooperative society, for the socioeconomic benefits of only its registered members alone.

Attached to the petition is a copy of the Byelaws and certificate of registration of the said SEFORP2023 which were also attached and respectively marked Annexures B and C.

The petitioner said that the said Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obiora, has been sending watts app messages to the unsuspecting members of the public demanding for monies, for the hosting of the deceptive political meeting, using a registered cooperative society against the provisions of the Nigerian Cooperative Societies Act. The said fraudulent conference has been scheduled to take place on the 22nd of October 2020. Printed copies of some of the watts app messages were also attached herewith as Annexure D.

“It is therefore on the basis of the immediate and imminent dangers posed by the said Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha, using the registered cooperative society, to defraud members of the public and also training youths for the take-over of the presidency in 2023, that we deemed it necessary to write to your esteemed office for urgent intervention and investigation of the fraudulent and illegal activities of the said Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha.”