Led in evidence by the Prosecution Counsel, Abudulahi Tanko, Akyenewga alleged that sometime in 2016, the defendant a pastor in the church where she fellowship, called her for counselling and prophesied to her that something big was coming her way.

She further narrated how the pastor 'brainwashed' her into releasing the money.

According to her:

“I have been worshipping in Have faith in God Ministry, with the founder of the church before the defendant joined the church as a pastor.

“In 2016 during his preaching, he asked me to give a woman in the church some money to put in her business.

“I told him I had ₦500,000, which was a loan I collected for a project I was about to embark on. He asked me to loan him the money with a promise to pay me back in three months.

”He brainwashed me into giving him that money because I don’t know how I could have given him that money,” she said.

During cross-examination, the defendant asked the witness to produce the woman she gave the money to.

The witness, however, said: ”my pastor tricked me into giving him the money.

The offences, the police said contravened the provisions of sections 312 and 332 of the Penal Code.

After listening to the testimony, Chief Magistrate, Aliyu Shafa, appointed a counsel, M.B Omioigbo to act as a mediator between the two parties and report back to the court.

Independent.ng