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UK probes Nigerian church SPAC Nation, where members sell blood, take loan for church

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UK probes Nigerian church SPAC Nation, where members sell blood, take loan for church

SPAC Nation, a church being led by a Nigerian Tobi Adegboyega is being investigated in Britain over allegations that pastors were pressuring young members to sell their blood and also take bank loans to donate to the church and fund the lavish lifestyle of the pastors.

Charity Commission said it has opened an inquiry into the church.

The commission, which describes the London church as a charity set up to ‘advance Christianity’ that works particularly with young people, has ordered it to bank all its money while the investigation takes place.

The commission announced the enquiry after HuffPost UK reported allegations that some members of the church had been taking teenagers to donate blood for medical trials in a practice known as ‘bleeding for seed

The mail on Sunday reported that SPAC Nation’s leaders had been accused of threatening parishioners who fail to raise enough money and one pastor had even urged her followers to ‘beg, borrow or steal’ in order to gather money for the church
The newspaper revealed that one senior leader, Mariam Mola, 30, whose real name is Mariam Mbula, 30, had been jailed in the UK, Belgium and Spain, and was also wanted for leading a crime gang in Italy.

The senior leader, who had previously appeared on shows including This Morning and been praised for turning her life around after she was jailed for fraud at the age of 18, had at least 13 convictions for 34 offences; 27 for fraud and dishonesty.
was also reported that Mbula had once preyed on a woman with a Down’s syndrome daughter in order to gain £15,000 from her funds.

Labour MP Steve Reed, the Shadow Children’s Minister, previously told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The allegations I have received about Spac Nation from vulnerable young people are truly disturbing.

‘Victims are saying it is run like a cult. I want there to be a full investigation.’

Scotland Yard said it was reviewing the complaints against the church, which is run by the 39-year-old Adegboyega, who came to Britain in 2005.

The church, which denies the claims, has previously been praised by politicians for its work in tackling gang violence and protecting young people at risk of knife crime.

The commission said a case had been opened on SPAC Nation in April last year, and in November this year information received from the trustees ‘raised further concerns about the charity’s financial controls, policy and procedures

In a statement, it added: ‘Of immediate concern to the commission is that substantial amounts of charity money are held in cash.

‘As a protective measure, the commission has issued an order under Section 84 of the Charities Act, requiring the charity to bank its money.

‘The commission is also concerned about the apparent lack of clarity between the personal, business and charity roles of leaders within the charity

SPAC Nation’s ‘Church of Bling’

The evangelical church claims to be a ‘faith-based organisation that is committed to seeing the lives of young people being transformed’

The church, which featured in a BBC documentary last year, claims 55 per cent of its congregation are ex-gang members

A report with the commission’s findings is expected to be published once the investigation is concluded..

a statement from its board of trustees, SPAC Nation said the inquiry was ‘needful to lay to rest some unverified allegations,’ adding: ‘Inquiry is what we have always asked for.

‘If anything is found wrong we will adjust it, and if not we will keep going strong.

‘If any pastor or leader is caught pressuring people to donate, such leader will be expelled without delay, not to talk of pressuring to donate blood for money.

We encourage people to donate blood and all they can for the community but we also say not for money ever, that just won’t happen here.’

Read More in Mail on Sunday

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Unity Bank, CashToken Rewards Promo Produces New Millionaire

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A Unity Bank customer, Mr. Amadi Chinmenem Gift Chike, has emerged as the latest winner of One Million Naira in the ongoing Cash Rewards Promo by Unity Bank Plc and CashToken Rewards Africa.

CashToken Rewards Africa is a Cash-Reward-as-a-Service company that rewards customers for their patronage and loyalty.

Mr. Amadi, a customer from Unity Bank’s Aba Road Branch, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, won the cash prize after completing qualifying transactions on Unity Bank’s digital banking channels including Unifi, *7799#, and on his Unity Bank-issued Verve card. Through these transactions, he received CashTokens, which entered him into the weekly national consumer draw, where he was selected as the lucky winner of the N1 million prize.

From left: Chioma Umeh, Unity Bank Branch Manager, Aba Road 1, Port Harcourt; Amadi Chinmenem Gift Chike, the grand prize winner, and Mr. Etop Ukpe, Unity Bank’s Regional Manager, Port Harcourt/Uyo Region presening the N1M check to the winner, recently.

The grand prize winner, Mr. Amadi is the second customer to claim the N1 million grand prize in the rewards promo, which commenced in November 2023. Since the launch, Unity Bank customers have collectively won over N6 million in cash rewards.

Unity Bank and CashToken Rewards promo offers guaranteed instant cash rewards and life-changing opportunities for loyal customers who transact on any of the Bank’s electronic payment platforms, including the Unifi mobile banking application and the *7799# USSD platform. Every card transaction earns customers CashTokens, which qualify them for the weekly national consumer draw, with prizes ranging from N5,000 to N100 million.

Presenting the cheque to the winner in Port Harcourt, Unity Bank’s Regional Manager for Port Harcourt/Uyo Region, Mr. Etop Ikpe, congratulated the winner and reiterated the Bank’s commitment to building a sustainable loyalty platform for customer engagement and satisfaction.

The winner celebrates with the Unity Bank team

He said, “We are happy to see another one of our loyal customers win a substantial cash prize through the Unity Bank and CashToken Rewards Promo. This initiative aligns with our mission to reward customer loyalty while providing a seamless and rewarding banking experience. As we continue to innovate and enhance our digital banking platforms, we are committed to creating more opportunities for our customers to benefit from their relationship with Unity Bank.”

In his reaction, an elated Mr. Amadi said, “This is a reward for my steadfastness. I have been banking with Unity Bank for a long time and I am really happy to win the cash prize. I commend the bank for the initiative and Unity Bank has always come through in keeping their promises both in terms of service delivery and meeting expectations of customers.”

The winner celebrates with the Unity Bank team

Also commenting on the development, Simi Adeoye, Chief Business Development Officer for CashToken Rewards Africa, added: “We are proud to partner with Unity Bank in bringing life-changing opportunities to their customers through our Cash-Reward-as-a-Service model. We aim to make every transaction meaningful by turning regular banking activities into chances for customers to win significant rewards. We congratulate Mr. Amadi on his win, and we look forward to creating more millionaires as the promo continues. Mr. Amadi just like other beneficiaries can easily cash out his win by dialling *6700#, following the prompt and transferring his wins directly to his Unity Bank account.”

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Breaking: Alimosho LG Vice Chairman Gets Appointment Letter To Take Over Office

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The Vice Chairman of Alimosho Local Government Area, Mr. Akinpelu Johnson has officially received an appointment letter to take over from the suspended Chairman, Jelili Sulaimon.

The letter, dated 8th October, 2024, was signed by Kikelomo Bolarinwa, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development.

Titled: ‘Re: Suspension of Mr. Sulaimon Jelili, Chairman, Alimosho Local Government Area Resolution of the House’, the appointment letter read: “I write to refer to the resolution of the House of Assembly in respect of the above
subject which states that Mr. Sulaimon Jelili has been suspended indefinitely from
Office as the Chairman, Alimosho Local Government in accordance with Section 24
(1,2,3,4) of the Local Government Administration Law (Amendment) Law, 2016. (Copy attached for ease of reference).

“In view of the above, you are to assume duty IMMEDIATELY as the Acting Chairman, Alimosho Local Government.”

Recall that the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday suspended Jelili Sulaimon from office following various allegations by the lawmakers.

The lawmakers resolved at the sitting that Johnson should take over the running of the affairs of the council.

The lawmakers further instructed the management of the council, including the manager and treasurer, to recognise Johnson and accord him all the support to make him work effectively.

Meanwhile, four out of the seven councillors in the council have denounced the purported suspension of Johnson by their three colleagues.

In a press release signed by the four councillors including Deputy Leader Mojisola Fabusuyi Ayeni (Ward D), Saheed Adejoke (Ward C), Rasheed Semiu (Ward E), Elizabeth Fashina (Ward F), they commended the House of Assembly for intervening while urging stakeholders’ in the council to go about their activities peacefully.

Read the full statement below:

Illegal Suspension of Hon. Akinpelu Ibrahim Johnson,Vice Chairman Alimosho Local Government

We, the undersigned legislators from Alimosho Local Government, officially dissociate ourselves from the staged managed, and illegal suspension of Mr. Akinpelu Ibrahim Johnson, The Vice Chairman of Alimosho Local Government.

We condemn in totality the purported suspension of the Vice Chairman by minority legislators who acted on instructions of the validly suspended Chairman.

As representatives of our people from different wards in Alimosho, we remain committed to supporting the state and federal government’s efforts to improve the lives and well-being of our people, most especially at the grassroots.

We commend the State House of Assembly for their intervention in the mismanagement of the local government over the years. We urge all stakeholders to remain peaceful as there’s no cause for alarm.

The Renewed Hope (RH) Agenda of our Dear President, H.E Asiwaju Bola Tinubu GCFR, and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES + Agenda, deserve every attention and support at this critical stage of our state and nationhood and by extension at the local government.

We would like to emphasize that at no time was the Vice Chairman suspended hence our readiness to support him going forward with the administration of the Local Government.

As a man of the people, we have no doubt in our minds that Hon Akinpelu Johnson will deliver beyond the expectations.

We shall keep the public posted should there be any information of interest to the public.

Signed:

1. Councillor. Mojisola Fabusuyi Ayeni (Ward D), Alimosho LGA, Deputy Leader

2. Councillor Saheed Adejoke (Ward C), Alimosho LGA, Chief Whip

3. Councillor Rasheed Semiu (Ward E), Alimosho LGA, Member.

4. Councillor Elizabeth Fashina (Ward F), Alimosho LGA, member.

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Court Returns Abure As Labour Party National Chairman

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A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday returned Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party, LP.

The court declared the 2024 Labour Party national convention held in Nnewi, which re-elected Abure, is valid, stating that the convention was in line with all laid down laws in Nigeria.

This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh.

According to the statement, Justice Emeka Nwite while delivering the judgement, compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to grant due recognition and all privileges to the Labour Party’s National Working Committee as led by Abure.

JomogNews reports that INEC had announced that it did not recognise Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.

The Commission argued that the Abure-led LP leadership was invalid, stating that the March 2024 National Convention that re-elected Abure as chairman violated both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.

 

 

 

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