Pastor Jerry Eze’s Church Returns N1.64m Mistaken Transfer

Sandra Okpara, a single mother of two, has recovered N1,640,200 after accidentally transferring the money to an account linked to Streams of Joy International, founded by Pastor Jerry Eze. The money was returned on Saturday, less than 24 hours after Okpara’s appeal for help gained widespread attention online.

Okpara had posted a video on Friday explaining that the money was not hers and was meant for payments to other people. She appealed to church members and anyone who could assist in tracing the transaction.

“This money is not my money Sandra Okpara, a single mother of two, has recovered N1,640,200 after accidentally transferring the money to an account linked to Streams of Joy International, founded by Pastor Jerry Eze.

“My hand just clicked that one. “Before God and man, it was an error,” she explained.

After realising the mistake, Okpara said she visited Zenith Bank to seek help in recovering the money but was unsuccessful. She later reported the matter to Moniepoint and was informed that a court order would be required. Unable to find a direct means of contacting the church, she eventually sought help through Pastor Jerry Eze’s online prayer platform.

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Okpara said she did not notice the error immediately because she failed to check the transfer details before completing the transaction. It was only after opening the receipt that she realised what had happened.

“I didn’t see it. I just made the transfer. After making the transfer, I opened the receipt to confirm the transaction. I was screaming,” she recalled.

The situation prompted her to make a public appeal online, hoping that the video would be shared widely enough to reach people who could help. Her appeal eventually reached Streams of Joy International In a post on X on Saturday, the church confirmed that it had contacted Okpara and refunded the money after investigating the transaction.

“We have transferred her money back to her,” the church said.

Streams of Joy International also stated that members of the public could use its official contact channels to report mistaken transactions.

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According to the church, Okpara had not contacted it through its phone lines, email or direct-message platforms before publishing the video. It said that after becoming aware of the appeal, its officials immediately reached out to her using the contact information provided.

Following communication with Okpara and the necessary verification, the church said the transaction was reversed.
Okpara later confirmed that the full amount had been refunded.

“100 per cent,” she said when asked if she had received the money. She explained that a church staff member contacted her around 6:22am on Saturday, after which the refund was successfully processed.

Okpara said her decision to post the video was aimed at getting help and was not intended to damage Pastor Jerry Eze’s reputation.

“That’s the power of social media. It’s not because I want to do it to tarnish Pastor Jerry’s image,” she said.

Source: Punch News

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content Credit: Adeyemi Esther

Image Credit: Facebook.com