An alleged blackmailer who claims to be a journalist has landed in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison for attempting to extort money from a popular clergy in Lagos through blackmail.
Ohio Ojeagbase, 38, walked into the net of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad after perfecting his extortion plot on Bishop Chris Kwakpovwe, the General Overseer of the Manna Prayer Mountain and Publisher of the daily devotional, Our Daily Manna.
Ojeagbase was arrested alongside a Lagos-based lawyer, Uche Iloani, accused of working together with Ojeagbase who owns Probiters Report.
Trouble started for Ohio and his accomplice after they had planted a lady in Bishop Kwapovwe’s ministry to function as a staff whose job was to feed them with information that could facilitate their blackmail plans on the clergy.
Rita Ibeni, the staff, who worked in the media department of the ministry for about five years, was fingered after a massive looting of the ODM Video Unit of media and video equipment worth N5.6 million.
The main suspect and other departmental staffers were arrested.
When Ibeni was confronted with evidence of the theft, she absconded from the church office.
This prompted her arrest at the instance of the ministry and a case was filed at Area H Police Command, Ogudu, Lagos.
Upon her arrest, Iloani, who claimed to be her counsel, came forward to demand for her immediate release with a plea to the ODM and the ministry that the matter would be settled out of court.
However, as soon as Ibeni was granted bail, the story took a new twist as Ojeagbase went to work.
He wrote a letter to Bishop Kwakpovwe claiming that the latter tried to oppress one of his staffers and that they were going to publish a story in that regard, which could finish the ODM Vision that has affected millions of lives across the Globe.
According to him: “Whatever we tell the public will be believed since we have 250 million online membership.”
He demanded millions of naira from the man of God if he wanted the story killed.
Ojeagbase claimed he and his accomplice had recorded verbal (audio) conversations between Ibeni and the Bishop, where the man of God made sexual advances at the former.
However, further probe and forensic examination later revealed that the recording was fake as the fabricated voice was not the Bishop’s.
After series of accusations and threats to publish negative story of sexual harassment and threat to life concerning the Bishop and even threats of kidnap of his loved ones by other faceless members of the group, they demanded settlement to avoid the story going viral, claiming it was not their intention to damage the image of the revered man of God.
They also told the bishop they had done a “human google” on him and they knew his worth!
At that point, the bishop “smelled a rat” and quickly reported the matter to the police.
The lawyer asked for N15 million for inconveniences, tagged as professional fees, and the inconveniences his “client” Ibeni had gone through during her arrest, while Ojeagbese demanded for 50 per cent of whatever is paid to the lawyer.
The suspects also gave the man of God the option of handing in original copies of his property documents that they would help him facilitate quick loan from a bank so he could make the payment without stress.
That was when Bishop Kwakpovwe went back to the police to lodge complaints.
The police then advised that further calls, SMS or meetings be electronically recorded as evidence.
That was done.
They were rounded up on April 12, 2017 in Ogudu, Lagos, while they were at the agreed venue for the man of God to make payment.
It was further gathered that they came on that day with two borrowed jeeps.
The case was charged to court on April 17, 2017, where the suspects were remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison over their inability to meet up with the bail conditions.
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