Lead pastor of Streams of Joy International Jerry Eze has reacted to remarks by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman Ola Olukoyede on an investigation into alleged money laundering.
Pastor Eze spoke on Wednesday at the Jerry Eze Foundation Business Grant Award Ceremony in Abuja.
He said the period of the investigation was difficult for him. “I remember that the EFCC chairman was talking about the investigation. He’s saying it, and he’s happy. But he didn’t know what I went through,” he said.
The cleric said he questioned why he was under investigation. “I remember talking to Pastor Poju and Pastor Sarah. I said, ‘What did I do? I have not done anything. I don’t know why these people are after me,’” he added.
Eze said he often became emotional while driving to lead the New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations (NSPPD).
“I wake up, I’m driving to NSPPD in the morning, and I’m crying, saying, ‘Jesus, Lord, you know,’” he said.
He, however, said he was grateful after the commission cleared him. “When he came, he said, ‘We looked through your books, and we didn’t find anything wrong you did,’ and I am grateful to God,” he said.
Eze’s comments followed remarks by Mr Olukoyede earlier on Wednesday. The EFCC chairman said he ordered a six-month investigation after intelligence reports showed large foreign currency inflows into a domiciliary account linked to the cleric.
“We work by intelligence; we work by petitions. At some point, there was an account, a domiciliary account. Dollars and pounds were dropping like raindrops from Colombia, from America, from Sri Lanka, even from Togo,” Olukoyede said.
He said EFCC investigators reviewed the account records and traced the source of the funds.
According to him, Jerry Eze was later invited and gave explanations on the transactions, including their connection to his ministry and charitable activities.
Olukoyede said no wrongdoing was found at the end of the probe. “I didn’t call you here to explain to me. We had already done our work. I called you here to commend you,” he said.
He added that the commission would continue routine monitoring of financial transactions in line with its mandate.
