The founder and lead pastor of Harvester International Church Center (HICC), Pastor Bolaji Idowu has denied allegations of involvement in a ₦1.5 billion fraud.
Pastor Bolaji Idowu was reportedly arrested over allegations bordering on money laundering and real estate fraud worth N1.5 billion.
It was learnt that the clergy was arrested by operatives of the Nigerian Police and was interrogated by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja.
According to a police source, “The Next Level Prayer Conference, Pastor Bolaji Idowu, has been arrested by the police, and he is being grilled in Abuja over real estate fraud and money laundering.”
Another source added, “He is at the FCID Abuja as we speak. The case emanated from one of his pastors who duped several people in a real estate scheme.
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“The police investigation showed that several billion naira in the scheme were traced first to Pastor Bolaji’s church account and later to his personal account,” the source added.
Reacting to the claims during his “Next Level Prayers” session on Wednesday, Pastor Idowu refuted allegations linking him to fraudulent real estate dealings, asserting that he has no business interests in property transactions.
Clarifying his stance and maintaining his innocence, Pastor Idowu said, “Over the last 24 hours, there’s been a lot of news about me on social media. I just want to state some facts clearly.
“I do not have any property in Nigeria apart from the one bequeathed to me by my late parents.
“I am not in the business of buying or selling properties.”
Pastor Bolaji Idowu also dismissed claims of receiving large financial deposits, particularly billions of naira, into his accounts.
“Someone said I received billions into my account. My account is public; anyone can check if I have ever received such amounts. I did not,” he declared.
Expressing gratitude to his supporters, the pastor struck a positive tone, thanking 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.
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