Religion
Lagos prophet, Marcus Tibetan, who promised church member land near Dangote refinery in N65m mess
Marcus Tibetan, a popular Lagos prophet of a white garment church, has been accused of a N65 million land scam by his church member, David Timileyin, whom he allegedly promised land near the recently inaugurated Dangote refinery in the state.
According to Timilehin, a real estate businessman, his relationship with Tibetan was that of a father and son as he had taken the prophet as a spiritual guide.
Timilehin said, in 2022, Tibetan informed him of the availability of two hectares of land (30 plots) supposedly in Ketu, Epe area of the state, belonging to Omolara Akintonde, another church member and former first lady of Ogun state. The value of the land was put at N2 million per plot and some additional costs, which put the total money at N65.5 million.
After he showed interest in the land, Timilehin said Tibetan offered himself as a go-between for the transaction. He said he told the prophet that he would need to get a lawyer to help seal the deal given the huge amount involved, but the prophet told him he would not need a lawyer since he is the one involved.
Timilehin said he paid the N65.5 million cost of the land to the prophet to be transferred to Akintonde. But a year after, Timilehin has not been allocated the land; neither did he receive a receipt of payment nor any documentation of the land. Instead, he has been involved in a back-and-forth conversation with the prophet and Akintonde.
“There are indications that Tibetan and Akintonde have connived to deny me my hard-earned money,” Timilehin said.
“He has not denied collecting money from me. The transaction evidence is there in the audio. On the other hand, Akintonde has also not denied collecting money from Prophet Tibetan.”
The situation, however, got messier when Timilehin visited the land without Tibetan’s knowledge and discovered that it was not what was described to him by the prophet.
“The prophet told me the 30 plots of land were close to the Dangote refinery. But I have since discovered that the land is in the forest of Epe. It is largely an uncultivated land in the remote areas of Epe which can’t sell for more than N1 million per plot,” Timilehin said.
“The prophet was furious when he got to know I went to check the land. It was like I had done something evil. That was after I had paid. I wonder why he was so annoyed that I went to check the land I paid for. It was when I saw the land that I discovered it was not the land they told me about.”
“Later, the woman said the earlier price of N2 million per plot was a mistake, that the land actually cost N5 million per plot. So, for the 30 plots of land, I may have to pay N150 million. It was at this point I said I’m no longer interested in the land and they should refund me. The woman has blocked me from her phone.
“Before she blocked my number, she asked me to go and meet the prophet since it was the prophet who collected money from me. I had to use a friend’s phone to reach her to put further pressure on her to return my money.
“At a point, the prophet told me even if the woman agrees to refund the fund, what if she dies in the process, what would I do? He had also made several insinuations about an impending doom. He told me one time that there are people who build mansions and never lived in them. When he was trying to discourage me from getting a lawyer, he asked if I have heard of cases of lawyers being killed or kidnapped.”
In a letter to Akintonde, Ayo Durojaiye, Timilehin’s lawyer asked for a refund, saying the land deal “is tainted with fraud”.
The lawyer said his client also discovered that the land was allocated to Akintonde by the Lagos state government for purely commercial purposes and not for residential buildings. According to Durojaiye, the land was supposed to be for a petroleum refinery.
In a phone call with TheCable, Tibetan denied receiving money from Timilehin.
“I’m not dodging; I’m not running and I’m not a small boy in Nigeria. I also met Timilehin through the Internet. I didn’t know Akintonde. She happens to be a member of Celestial Church and I’m a shepherd in the church,” Tibetan said.
“She told me she had land to sell, a gigantic land given to her by Lagos state. I’ve helped a lot of people abroad to buy land through the woman. I don’t collect commissions. They brought the land documents to my house and Timilehin came from Abuja and signed it. Then, I told Timilehin and the woman that my job of connecting them is done and I’m no longer involved in the deal. I didn’t collect a commission from the woman and Timilehin. He should go and meet the woman to refund his money. I didn’t collect any money from Timilehin.”
However, bank statements presented by Timilehin showed he sent about N63 million in instalments to the prophet from February to March 2022.
Several calls and messages to Akintonde’s phone number seeking her side of the story were neither picked up nor acknowledged.
Meanwhile, in a voice note obtained by newsmen, Akintonde said all enquiries should be directed to the prophet to whom Timilehin paid the money.
Religion
You return to square one if you don’t pay tithe, says Becky Enenche
Becky Enenche, the wife of Paul Enenche, senior pastor of Dunamis International gospel Centre (DIGC), has stressed the significance of consistent tithe payment.
In an undated video circulating on social media, Becky advised Christians to constantly pay their tithe, which she refers to as “returning God’s portion”.
The clergywoman also warned that whenever a Christian fails to pay their tithe, they go “back to square one”.
Enenche also likened tithe defaulters to someone who typed a long text and mistakenly pressed the delete button.
“Paying your tithe, paying your tithe, returning God’s portion must be done consistently. Every time you miss your tithe, you go back to square one. The ones you did before become nullified,” she said.
“It is like you pressed a delete button, gbam. And all the work you did before is gone. Have you ever been typing and somebody entered the room or something mistakenly? You have typed enough text.
“The content of what you’ve typed is sufficient and you are not saving as you were typing and suddenly you press delete. You can imagine how that feels. Now what more of such a thing as your tithe.”
https://twitter.com/ChuksEricE/status/1857865926068019309?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1857865926068019309%7Ctwgr%5Ea0fe21df47634feab7fb9aa5a8c6079c7dfff01d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flifestyle.thecable.ng%2Ftrending-video-you-return-to-square-one-if-you-dont-pay-tithe-says-becky-enenche%2F
Religion
Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over child abuse allegations linked to Church of England
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has resigned following the publication of the Makin Review, which exposed the Church of England’s mishandling of historic abuse allegations involving John Smyth.
In a heartfelt statement on Tuesday, Welby acknowledged the extent of the church’s failures in responding to the abuse and expressed regret over the delayed response to survivors of Smyth’s crimes.
Welby stressed the importance of institutional responsibility and expressed sorrow for the victims and survivors of abuse, emphasising his commitment to creating a safer environment within the church.
“The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth,” Welby said.
“When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.
“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.
“It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.
“I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church.”
Welby noted his efforts to implement improvements in safeguarding over the last twelve years.
“The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England,” he said.
“For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.”
Welby expressed his commitment to his faith, stating that stepping aside was “in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve”.
“My deepest commitment is to the person of Jesus Christ, my saviour and my God; the bearer of the sins and burdens of the world, and the hope of every person,” he added.
Welby said he would continue his work with victims of abuse, delegating his other responsibilities until a proper risk assessment process is completed.
He also requested prayers for his family, who have been a constant source of support during his ministry.
Religion
Archbishop of Canterbury asked to resign over child abuse allegations linked to Church of England
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has been asked to resign over his failure to rigorously follow up on reports of child abuse linked to the Church of England.
On Thursday, a report revealed that “horrific” and violent abuse of more than 100 children and young men by John Smyth QC, a British barrister, was covered up within the Church of England for decades.
The report followed an independent review by the archbishops’ council of the Church of England.
Smyth QC, who died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018, was accused of attacking boys at his home in Winchester who he had met at a Christian summer camp in Dorset during the 1970s and 1980s.
He was said to have carried out lashings with a garden cane in his shed with eight boys receiving a total of 14,000 lashes, while two more received 8,000 strokes between them over three years.
Smyth QC is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England.
The report said Welby did not follow up rigorously enough on reports of Smyth QC’s “abhorrent” abuse, adding that he “could and should” have reported the case to authorities when details were presented to him in 2013.
It also said he might have been brought to justice for decades of abuse before his death in 2018 had he been formally reported to authorities in 2013.
Three members of the Church’s parliament – the general synod – have started a petition calling for Welby to resign over his “failures” to report Smyth’s abuse
Helen-Ann Hartley, bishop of Newcastle, has also called for his resignation.
She is the most senior member of the Church to call on Welby to step down.
Hartley said it would be hard for the Church to “continue to have a moral voice” when “we cannot get our own house in order with regard to something as critically important”.
“It’s very hard to find the words to respond adequately to what the report tells us,” Bishop Hartley told the BBC.
“I think rightly people are asking the question ‘Can we really trust the Church of England to keep us safe?’ And I think the answer at the moment is ‘no’.”
She said while Welby’s resignation would not “solve the safeguarding problem,” it would “be a very clear indication that a line has been drawn, and that we must move towards independence of safeguarding”.
In a statement, Welby said he was “deeply sorry that this abuse happened” and “sorry that concealment by many people who were fully aware of the abuse over many years meant that John Smyth was able to abuse overseas and died before he ever faced justice”.
“I had no idea or suspicion of this abuse before 2013,” he said.
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