The minister in charge of the Gomoa Onyadze/Otsew branch of the Christ Vision Sanctuary Church International, Pastor Edward Obeng, has bolted away, leaving the church behind, after defrauding a farmer, Mr. John Aryiquaye of Gomoa Manso, of a sum of Twelve Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS12,000.00), under the pretext of helping him secure an auctioned commercial vehicle.
Narrating his ordeal to News Ghana, the farmer, Mr. John Aryiquaye, said he had planned to secure a loan from the bank to purchase a small DAEWOO pick-up truck popularly referred to as “Kasoa Macho” to cart his farm produce to the market center, and therefore decided to inform his close friend whom he used to work with as drivers with the Metro Mass Transit Ltd.
He said upon informing him, his friend advised him to purchase a bus instead and use it for commercial purposes and even promised to recommend someone who could help him acquire one through auction.
According to the farmer, he rejected the decision by his friend who had brought the fraud pastor, Edward Obeng, to his farm on numerous occasions.
He pointed out that somewhere around the early part of 2022, he received a call from the pastor that his brother-in-law, who is an officer with the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) had informed him of the auctioning of some commercial vehicles by the Service, and asked him, the farmer, to pay an initial amount of Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH 5,000.00) to be given to his brother-in-law as part payment, which he obliged.
He noted that just two weeks after paying the amount, the pastor called him again and told him that all the relevant documentation of the vehicle had been completed and that he should pay another GHS5,000.00 for the vehicle’s release, to which he again complied.
He pointed out that after paying those amounts, he did not hear from the pastor again, and upon a series of calls, the pastor once responded with a flimsy excuse that his brother-in-law was sick and had been flown outside the country for treatment.
He noted that later, the pastor called again and told him that he had received information that his brother-in-law had left all documents covering the vehicle in the care of another colleague who was also demanding GHS2,000.00 to release the vehicle, which he again paid, all through the pastor’s mobile money accounts.
According to the farmer, after the failure of the pastor to produce the vehicle, he managed to get the phone number of the pastor’s mother, and upon explaining the matter to her, and threatening to use every means available to retrieve his money, even if it will mean consulting a deity, the mother promised to refund the money.
He hinted that after paying GHS5,000.00, the woman refused to honor her promise.
He said he later called to demand the remaining GHS7,000.00, the pastor’s mother would not pay but scolded him soundly.
When contacted on the phone, the pastor confirmed taking the money from the farmer but declined to say when and how he would refund the money to the farmer.
All efforts to reach the pastor have proved futile, as he has barred our reporter’s phone calls.
Checks at the Gomoa Onyadze/Otsew township indicate that pastor Edward Obeng has unceremoniously left the town, leaving the temple and his followers.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Pastor Obeng could be on transfer to man the ministry’s assembly in another town, as he is said to have defrauded several people in the area.
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