Pilgrim’s commission  tackles Adamawa CAN Chair over fraud allegation

The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, NCPC has challenged the Adamawa State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria,, Bishop Stephen Mamza to provide evidence that the commission collected money from the State Government.

NCPC gave the challenge in a statement made available to Church Times by the Head of the Media of the commission, Mr Celestine Toruka;

Tokura in the statement quoting the commission’s legal adviser Barrister Odey Obule denied  NCPC collected money from the Adamawa State government.

Odey in a petition dated 5th December 2022 addressed to Bishop Stephen Mamza  according to Tokura also gave Bishop Mamza a five-day ultimatum to make public his evidence of corruption charges.

The petition  is  titled: “Retraction of False and Malicious  Publication Against The Executive Secretary Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, NCPC “

Odey said the commission would be  “forced to escalate the matter to higher authorities in order to ventilate its rights which you have flagrantly trampled upon without justification.”

The statement according to Toruka further reaffirmed that the Commission never collected any money whatsoever from Adamawa State Government for the state’s Pilgrimage exercise to Rome early in the year.

NCPC lawyer explained that the Commission only intervened when it discovered that the Adamawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board under its Executive Secretary, Rev. Zidon Love tried to perform a pilgrimage to Rome without recourse to the Commission contrary to the NCPC enabling Act of 2007

The Act according to NCPC empowers the Commission to coordinate and superintend the activities of Christian Pilgrimage in Nigeria and the movement of Nigerian Christians to the Holy Sites around the world.

The NCPC maintained that the entire Adamawa pilgrimage was marred by several challenges which could have been avoided had the Commission been carried along from the beginning.

NCPC lawyer further stated: “it is therefore uncharitable for you to ascribe blame for the failure of the exercise to the Commission which only came in to salvage the situation after all the arrangements and payments had been made by the State Board to several service providers it contracted”

Bishop Stephen Mamza had granted a press conference on  December 1  in Yola alleging massive corruption in NCPC and demanding the sack of Rev. Yakubu Pam