The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that the agency investigated the founder of Streams of Joy International, Pastor Jerry Eze, over alleged money laundering before clearing him of any wrongdoing.
Olukoyede made the revelation on Wednesday during the Jerry Eze Foundation Business Grant Award Ceremony in Abuja.
He explained that the investigation, which lasted about six months, was initiated following intelligence reports and petitions received by the commission. According to him, the EFCC became interested in the case after noticing significant foreign currency inflows into a domiciliary account linked to the cleric.
“We work by intelligence, we work by petitions. At some point, I saw there was a domiciliary account where dollars and pounds were coming in,like raindrops,from Colombia, America, Sri Lanka, even Togo,” he said.
“So I asked, who is this man? I had heard his name before but didn’t know much about him. I was told he is a pastor of Streams of Joy, so we launched an investigation and went through the records.”
Olukoyede added that Pastor Eze was later invited for questioning after preliminary findings were compiled.
According to him, the cleric explained the nature of the funds and how they were received, including details of his philanthropic activities.
“He came to my office and explained what he does, how the money comes in, and how he has been helping people,” Olukoyede said.
“He didn’t need to explain much because we had already completed our investigation. That was when I told him I actually called him to commend him.”
The EFCC chairman said the commission found no evidence of financial wrongdoing and therefore cleared the cleric.
The remark reportedly drew applause at the event, where Pastor Eze was present and acknowledged the comments.
Olukoyede also noted that while the EFCC remains committed to investigating financial crimes, it also recognizes individuals who are found to have acted with integrity.
He, however, stressed that the agency will continue to monitor financial transactions where necessary, in line with its preventive mandate against corruption.
The EFCC boss further expressed concern over the involvement of some religious leaders in financial misconduct, stating that several have been investigated and prosecuted in the past.
He urged religious institutions to uphold accountability and ensure that places of worship are not used to conceal illicit financial activities.
