Man cloned renowned prophet's Facebook page to sell fake prayers and prophecies, police say he took over ₦18m

• Police in Ogun State say Adewale Arojah cloned a popular prophet's Facebook page to deceive people seeking spiritual help.

• Investigators allege he collected more than ₦18 million by offering fake prophecies and prayer services to victims in Nigeria and abroad.

• The suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department as police investigate the alleged fraud and search for possible accomplices.

Police in Ogun State say they have arrested a man who set up a copy of a well-known prophet's Facebook account and used it to collect more than ₦18 million from people looking for spiritual help.

The suspect, Adewale Arojah, was picked up by officers from the Ilaro Division after Muyiwa Akogun, known online as "Prophet Dr Muyiwa Akogun," filed a complaint on the 3rd of October. Akogun told police that people had been contacting him to say they were being scammed in his name through a duplicate profile he had nothing to do with.

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The command's spokesman, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said detectives used online monitoring and intelligence work to trace the suspect to a village in Ajegunle, along the Ilaro/Ibogun axis, where he was arrested. Police say he admitted during questioning that he had been posing as the real prophet.

According to the command, Arojah used the prophet's identity to hand out fake prophecies and sell prayer services, focusing on people who came to the prophet's page seeking spiritual support. Police say he built their trust before taking their money, and that his victims include people in Nigeria and abroad.

Police described Arojah as a prophet's son but did not explain how, if at all, he is connected to Akogun.

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He has been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Eleweran, Abeokuta. Investigators will work out how far the scheme went, whether others were involved, and whether he can be prosecuted.

Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni praised the Ilaro officers for the speed of the operation. The command said the arrest shows its intent to break up online fraud networks and curb identity theft, and it urged the public to verify the identities of religious leaders and public figures before engaging with them or sending money online.

Police have not said how many victims there are or whether any of the money has been recovered.