"It seems as if every December, I seem to pop up on social media. It happened last year."
On Tuesday, Pastor Bolaji Idowu, the lead pastor of Harvesters International Christian Center (HICC), was reported to have been allegedly involved in a N1.5 billion naira fraud.
The Nigerian police arrested him and took him to Abuja, where the FCID interrogated him on charges of real estate fraud and money laundering.
On Wednesday, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the cleric denied the allegations of receiving over a billion naira in his bank account nor being involved in any fraudulent activity.
During his church service on Sunday, Mr Idowu once again clarified this by addressing the news about his involvement in fraud relating to the said amount.
He started on a light note, saying, "It seems as if every December, I seem to pop up on social media. It happened last year."
Furthermore, Mr Idowu said, " This is from me to you. I was not arrested. The police invited me to help with the investigation of a church member who had gotten into trouble. I have written a bit about it in the press release I sent out. I was not arrested; I was invited. "I was not arrested, said the lead pastor.
The clergyman also stated that he's careful to do his part and allow the police to do theirs. He said he would be careful not to divulge information about the person involved as they have a family to preserve.
"I would love to say so much to you but remember the case is under investigation. A person is involved. The person has wives, children and relatives. I will let the police deal with their thing until my assistance ends, and I can step aside," he added.
He also addressed how social media had painted and projected the news as though he was involved in the fraud.
He appreciated and celebrated his church for standing by him and speaking in his defence. One instance of defence that stood out for him was when a member said, "My pastor's eye is not open like that. My pastor does not like money," he said.
The clergyman also confirmed that he's been cleared of any allegations made against him by social media and bloggers.
