Two pastors serving 17-year prison terms get additional 26 years

Two clerics, Pastor Glory Okeoghene Aberefa and Reverend Vincent Okpogo, who are serving 17 years jail terms have been handed additional 26 years in prison.

The fresh 26-year jail-term was handed to the convicts by Justice F. N. Azinge of the Delta State High Court sitting in Otor-Udu on Monday.

For the new jail terms, Aberefa was handed 16 years while Okpogo got 10 years.

The convicts, alongside their company, Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited, were prosecuted by the Benin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on 16-count charges, bordering on conspiracy to steal and stealing, contrary to Section 516 and 390 (9) of the Criminal Code, CAP 21, Vol 1, Laws of Delta State of Nigeria, 2006.

They pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, upon their arraignment on June 19, 2017.

Their trial by the EFCC legal team of V. O. Agbaje and K. U. Udus followed a petition and investigation which fingered them in the stealing of the sum of N32.5 million.

The first defendant, Pastor Aberefa was sentenced to one year imprisonment on each of the 16 counts, while the second defendant, Reverend Okpogo was sentenced to one year imprisonment each on count seven to 16, all of which are to run consecutively.

Earlier, the convicts were jailed 17 years by both the Federal High Court, Asaba and Delta State High Court, Warri, in Delta State.

Justice Azinge handing the new jail term to them, said it would take effect after they have completed the extant 17 years imprisonment.

Trouble started for the convicts, when under the guise of running a finance company, defrauded dozens of unsuspecting members of the public of millions of naira, through their fraudulent Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited.