TheCable

Marcus Tibetan, a prophet of the Celestial Church of Christ, 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 Lagos 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.

“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,” Timilehin said.

‘LAND IS IN EPE FOREST — NOT NEAR DANGOTE REFINERY’

Timilehin said he 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.

‘I’M NO LONGER INVOLVED IN THE DEAL’

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,” he 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 answered nor acknowledged.

Meanwhile, in a voice note obtained by TheCable, Akintonde said all enquiries should be directed to the prophet to whom Timilehin paid the money.