Benin evangelical church refuses to refund member's N111,000 accidentally paid into its account

BENIN City evangelical church Glory Arena has refused to refund a sum of N111,000 ($306) to a member who accidentally paid the cash into its account saying that the giver should accept that it was an offering made to God.

According to controversial radio show host and presenter Ifedayo Olarinde popularly known as Daddy Freeze, the parishioner known as Kenneth, accidentally paid the church N111,000 instead of the N11,000 he intended. He added that Kenneth later realised his mistake and asked the church to refund his money but was rebuffed.

Daddy Freeze, who revealed the details on his Instagram page, claimed that the church told the tithe payer that the money was given to God. In the audio clip Daddy Freeze posted, Kenneth could be heard saying that the money was given to him by someone who asked him to do a job for him.

He said: “Kenneth called me this morning rather distraught. He said that he paid 111,000 into his church account instead of 11,000 and the church has refused to refund him the balance saying the money was given to God.”

Over recent month, Daddy Freeze has been a fierce critic of Nigerian pentecostal churches, claiming they rip of ordinary Nigerians through tithes. These churches compel their members to pay 10% of their earnings in offerings and their pastors then use this to fund lavish lifestyles, which include buying private jets and strings of flashy cars.