EFCC investigated Pastor Jerry Eze, founder of Streams of Joy International, for six months over suspected money laundering before ultimately clearing him of any wrongdoing. The revelation came directly from EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, who made the surprising disclosure on Wednesday at the Jerry Eze Foundation Business Grant Award Ceremony in Abuja.
According to Olukoyede, the probe was triggered by intelligence reports and petitions after the commission noticed an unusual pattern of large foreign currency inflows into the cleric’s domiciliary account with funds arriving from countries including the United States, Colombia, Sri Lanka, and Togo.
“Dollars, pounds were dropping in like raindrops, from Colombia, from America, from Sri Lanka, even from Togo. I said who is this man?”
— EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede
The EFCC boss said investigators were immediately deployed to examine the cleric’s financial records. A full review of the accounts was conducted over a six-month period before Eze was formally invited to the commission’s office for questioning.
What the EFCC Found and Why Jerry Eze Was Cleared
Upon meeting with Pastor Eze and reviewing the commission’s findings, Olukoyede said the investigation revealed no financial crime. The inflows, which had initially raised red flags, were traced to legitimate sources consistent with the global reach of Eze’s ministry and his widely followed prayer and humanitarian outreach programmes.
Rather than a formal caution, the meeting ended with something far more unexpected — a commendation. Olukoyede told Eze directly that the invitation was not to demand explanations but to acknowledge his integrity.
“I called you here to commend you.”
— EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede
The remark drew applause from the audience, with Eze who was present at the event visibly acknowledging the public commendation from the nation’s top anti-corruption official.
EFCC Warns Religious Institutions on Financial Integrity
While Eze’s case ended positively, Olukoyede used the occasion to sound a strong warning to the broader religious community. He lamented that several clerics across Nigeria have been investigated and convicted by the EFCC for various financial crimes, stressing that places of worship must not be used as cover for illicit financial activities.
He urged religious institutions to uphold integrity and transparency, noting that the commission’s preventive mandate remains as important as its prosecutorial role. The EFCC boss made clear that the agency would continue to monitor suspicious financial activity regardless of the status or public profile of those involved.
The disclosure offers a rare and candid look into how Nigeria’s foremost financial crimes agency operates and serves as both a reassurance to innocent individuals and a firm warning to those who might attempt to exploit religious platforms for financial misconduct.
For more on the EFCC’s activities and anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria, visit the EFCC official website and follow updates via the Transparency International Nigeria page.
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