The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that the anti-graft agency subjected popular cleric Pastor Jerry Eze to a six-month investigation over suspected money laundering before clearing him of any wrongdoing.
Olukoyede, speaking at the Jerry Eze Foundation Business Grant Award Ceremony in Abuja, said the probe was triggered by intelligence reports and formal petitions after investigators noticed unusual foreign inflows into the pastor’s domiciliary account.
According to him, the EFCC became concerned when dollars and pounds began entering the account “like raindrops” from multiple countries, including Colombia, the United States, Sri Lanka and Togo. The pattern, he explained, matched red flags typically associated with illicit financial flows.
He said the commission opened a discreet case file on the founder of Streams of Joy International and subjected his financial records to rigorous scrutiny. “We work by intelligence, we work by petitions,” Olukoyede noted, adding that the agency “combed the books” before making any contact with the cleric.
After months of analysis, the EFCC boss invited Eze to his office to clarify the findings. Olukoyede recounted that the pastor explained the sources of the funds, the nature of his ministry’s global reach and his philanthropic activities, including support for vulnerable people and business initiatives.
Olukoyede said the meeting confirmed what investigators had already concluded: there was no evidence of money laundering or any financial crime linked to the inflows. “I didn’t call you here to explain to me. We have already done our work. I called you here to commend you,” he told Eze, drawing applause from the audience.
The EFCC chairman used the episode to underline the commission’s dual responsibility: aggressively pursuing financial crimes while also acknowledging individuals who demonstrate transparency and integrity in their dealings.
He stressed that the agency would continue to monitor suspicious financial activities as part of its preventive mandate, warning that religious platforms must not be used as cover for fraud. Olukoyede lamented that some clerics had been investigated and convicted for financial offences, and urged religious institutions to ensure their operations reflect the values they preach.
By publicly revealing the investigation and its outcome, Olukoyede sought both to clear Pastor Eze’s name and to signal that even high-profile religious figures are not exempt from scrutiny when financial red flags appear.
