Federal High Court sitting in Lagos state has postponed the arraignment of Ezekiel ThankGod aka Eezetee, the ex manager of  Nigeria gospel music star, Mercy Chinwo over allegation of stealing $340,000  belonging to the singer, with the judge of the Federal High Court insisting that the court must complete the case administrative procedures before the ex manager who was in court in person on Thursday can be arraigned.

Acoording to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, “Justice A O Owoeye of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, has adjourned the alleged $340,000 fraud case involving Ezekiel ThankGod, former manager of gospel artiste, Mercy Chinwo till May 14, 2025 for hearing.

The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC had filed a three-count charge against him bordering on money laundering and dishonest conversion to the tune of $340,000.

One of the counts reads: “That you, EzEKIEL OnYEDIKACHUKWU ThANKGOD and EeZEE GlOBAL CoNCEPTS LiMITED sometime in 2023, directly retained the sum of $260,494,  (Two Hundred and Sixty Thousand Four Hundred and Ninety-Four USD) in EeZEE GlOBAL MiNISTRY Zenith Bank Plc account number, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity, the dishonest conversion of the said sum, property of Mercy Chinwo and Judith Kanayo.”

The offence is contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

He was to have been arraigned alongside his company, Eezee Global Concepts Limited, on February 17, 2025 but his absence stalled his trial. The court had also issued a bench warrant for his arrest and ordered him to appear in court today March 6, 2025 either by the subsisting bench warrant or production by his counsel.

His counsel, Dr Monday Ubani, SAN, had also assured that he will be in court on the adjourned date.

At the resumed sitting on Thursday, prosecuting counsel, Bilkisu Buhari informed the court of the prosecution’s readiness to arraign the defendant who was present in court.

“The matter is for arraignment and subject to the court’s overriding convenience, we are ready to commence,” she said.

Justice Owoeye, however, held that: “There is an administrative procedure on this matter and I cannot proceed until the determination of the procedure.”

The case was thereafter adjourned till May 14, 2025 for hearing”.

On January 28, 2025, Mercy Chinwo said via her social media handles that: “I am overwhelmed with sadness every single day, and I cannot even explain it all. This burden is too heavy for me to bear. People call me names, accuse me unjustly, and paint me as someone I am not. They say I broke contract, that I never did, despite all the frustration. They label me as something I could never be.

But I know the truth, and I know my God sees all. He is the God of justice, and He must arise for my sake!

‘The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.’ (Psalm 94:1-2).

My heart cries out to Him because I believe He will fight for me and make the truth known. I leave it all in His hands.”

Earlier on January 27, 2025, she posted a video and said: “Glory be to God! This video is from October 2021. I was scheduled to minister at Reverend Felix Omobode’s church, but my previous management canceled my participation. Despite that, I fought to attend, and by God’s grace, He made a way.

When I arrived at the airport, I was greeted by a medical team. They explained that they had been informed I was gravely ill and battling a terminal health condition.

It was incredibly painful, and the mental strain was intense. But the Lord healed my heart and gave me peace. This is just one of many experiences. To Him alone be all the glory!”

In a letter of clarification written through her lawyers entitled; “MeRCY ChINWO AnD Mr EzEKIEL ThANKGOD (EeZETEE): SeTTING ThE ReCORD StRAIGHT”, the gospel artiste stated below thus:

“We are Solicitors to Minister Mercy Chinwo, hereinafter referred to as Minister Mercy.

It is with deep concern that we address the recent controversies surrounding Minister Mercy’s relationship with Mr Ezekiel ThankGod (Eezeetee), her former manager. While we would have preferred to maintain silence on this matter, the severity of the falsehoods being circulated compels us to clarify the facts and set the record straight.

GeNERAL NoTE

Contrary to the sensational narratives, Minister Mercy did not initiate any court action case against Mr Ezekiel ThankGod (Eezeetee) regarding her music catalogue. At no point has she claimed that a 50/50 revenue split from her DSP earnings is unfair. The issues with Mr Eezeetee are, in fact, grave matters that have posed significant threats to her life and cannot be easily exhausted, but she has preferred to remain silent.

WhAT WeRE ThE ReAL IsSUES?

BaCKGROUND

Minister Mercy’s journey with Eezeetee began humbly during her days as Eezeetee’s backup singer in Port Harcourt. Over time, their work relationship flourished, with Eezeetee assuming a loco parentis role, advising and mentoring her. Their relationship was not born out of contract, but beyond, She honours him like a father.

He commenced managing her early in 2017, introduced her to his Pastor, Pastor Temple Odoko and later specifically advised that they sign a management contract on her birthday to remarkably announce their work. He brought the contract, and it was happily executed on September 5, 2017, in Port Harcourt. (Note date and place).

WoRK ReLATION

The work relation was super cordial. Minister Mercy “Excess Love” project was recorded in 2017, and it was a major success. Other projects followed. Eezeetee put in the work and passion, he talked big on his vision for gospel music in Nigeria, and she strongly bought into it.

ReLOCATION To LaGOS

The grace of God was evident, and need to relocate to Lagos became crucial in 2018. He established the structure, and they worked with unity and a common vision. Everyone was committed to the organization vision, and she was instrumental in ensuring that more gospel ministers, starting with Judikay, joined the organization in early 2019.

ThE TuRNING PoINT

Towards the middle and end of 2019, commencing the 3rd year of working with Eezeetee, things began to change gradually. They had discussions, as usual, about the organization and her plans. He expressed his intention for her to extend her five-year contract to twelve years. However, she declined, stating that she is got other plans.

Afterwards, she noticed that at any given opportunity to address any issue, Eezeetee would be hostile and make reference to the contract. He started talking tough and repeatedly about the contract, which was not the norm. It was at this point that she realized she needed to have a copy of the contract. As the situation got worse in 2020 she demanded for her copy of the contract. (By the way, her copy of the contract was only given at the end of the contract time on the 23rd of November, 2022)

By the fourth year, the relationship had become extremely toxic, as Minister Mercy started to endure untold verbal and emotional assault that literally affected her person. Eezeetee would threaten her with statements like: “I will deal with you, I will mess you up, I made you whom you are, I can shut you up, and nobody will hear you again, I will destroy your career” including the use of the “F” word, sadly on different occasions. Extremely hostile, antagonistic and abusive.

Eezeetee continue to intimidate her, isolating and bulling her, misleading people inviting her for events about her availability.

When she gets invitations to minister at programs, the management would respond to the invitees that she was not available or that she was sick. In some cases, the management would demand an outrageous fee for her to attend programs in order to frustrate the invitation.

One of such heartbreaking incidents involved a church program that had been concluded for her to attend in October 2021, hosted by a father of faith in Edo State, Reverend Felix Omobode. Eezeetee suddenly told the host that Minister Mercy could not attend because she had a terminal health problem. She got wind of it and fought back. It became chaos while she threatened it was over and done with the organization.

She was threatened with the contract but she insisted she will go and minister against the management’s wish. There were interventions, after much pressure, he claimed the organizers did not make flight arrangements. She said she will attend by any means. He eventually booked the flight. To her surprise, her host came along with a medical team to the airport to receive her believing she was unwell and may need support. Meanwhile, Minister Mercy also discovered that her ticket and that of Eezeetee had been long booked by the host.

ReCONCILIATION

Though broken, she made efforts at reconciliation. She prayed and had discussions with her spiritual mentor. She decided to make a deliberate effort to restore the good working relationship. She was led to sow a seed to him. She bought a brand-new SUV for him as a seed. She made efforts, and they tried to achieve a genuine reconciliation. They reconciled, but he was more particular about posting the car on social media to appreciate her. She declined, and things got worse.

The situation worsened as there was no longer trust. She lived in tears. She had to narrate her experience to Minister Chioma Jesus, whose intervention led to the management returning her call lines to her in December 2021 to manage her program scheduling herself. Without removing her cost of logistics for travels and remuneration for her team members which she must pay, she remitted an absolute total of 50% of any gift or honorarium with date and evidence to Eezeetee. If she delayed, he would certainly send a mail.

CaSE OF FoRGERY

After her contract had expired on the 5th of September, 2022, Minister Mercy was directed to get her copy of the contract from his Pastor, Temple Odoko who has now become their mutual father, and she got her copy November 22, 2022. Shockingly, It turned out that the contract that was signed in 2017 had been replaced with another contract made in 2019. A new contract made in 2019 was altered to seem as if it was the document signed in 2017.

Clearly, on the face of the contract, at the front page, the “2019” was altered to “2017” by turning the “9” to “7” with a pen. However, the commencement page was carelessly reading “2019.” Eezeetee is challenged in one word to release the first three pages and the execution page of the contract in public. The contract till date has no original, just the photocopy.

Due diligence revealed that after signing the original contract in 2017, two years later, when they had relocated to lagos. Eezeetee secured the services of a prominent and respected law firm in Lagos (Udo Udoma & Bello-Osagie) to prepare a new contract in 2019. The contract was used to substitute the 2017 original contract.

The contract was prepared and sent to him via email in 2019 by Udo Udoma & Bello-Osagie. He altered the front page of the contract to read 2017 and claimed it was the contract signed. Meanwhile, the commencement date was carelessly left as 2019 on the document. He refused to release the original contract signed in 2017 but the new one 2019.

At an investigation meeting, Our Managing Partner, Pelumi Olajengbesi respectfully asked Mr Mena Ajakpovi, Esquire, Partner at Udo Udoma & Bello-Osagie, to speak to the integrity of the contract. The partner confirmed that while they drafted the contract in 2019, it was never signed in their presence as Eezeetee claimed. He added that their firm only sent it to him via email and was not aware of the 2017 alterations on the contract. This exposed the fact that it was not the same contract signed 2017 in Porhartcourt.

It is important to reiterate that while the 2017 contract was just about 5 pages, the 2019 contract, which was introduced by Eezeetee to replace the old contract was 25 pages, allocating lifetime ownership of all music works to Eezeetee and couched in a manner intended to perpetually have Minister Mercy in servitude.

OtHER IsSUES

Eezeetee, in the continued onerous act, doctored reports received from Symphonic, Africori, and YouTube by not declaring the correct revenue split to be paid out to Minister Mercy. He brought documents in the mid years of the contract that she needs to sign to help recover her revenue from publishing as song writer. Yet, he falsely listed himself as the writer of all her songs, to receive revenues as both writer and producer. He refused to remit her a penny from the publishing revenue for the past seven years, from inception till date and Minister Mercy didn’t make it an issue. He did not remit his ‘choiced’ 50% of the Digital Streams earnings from 2022 to 2024 — a complete two years.

Eezeetee claimed he has paid her over $600,000; that couldn’t have been the reason for the issues. Minister Mercy recorded and released almost 40 songs with him. Whatever he has remitted to her is from the 50% ratio, and she has never complained about the percentage.

AfTER ThE CoNTRACT

Minister Mercy made significant efforts to record an additional album before the expiration of her contract. She had clear instructions on the songs, wrote them down and sent a list to Eezeetee, requesting a recording schedule. However, his responses were dismissive, with one reply stating, “Na you dey teach me work now,” and another time, indicating he was too busy at the time.

After the original contract, which spanned from 2017 to 2022, had expired, Eezeetee insisted that the contract be extended. He justified this by citing the fact that a third album had not been recorded, referencing a questionable contract clause from 2019.

ApOSTLE AnSELEM’S MaDUBUKO InTERVENTION

Apostle Anselem attempted to help resolve the matter on several occasions. We were advised to forgive and forget, and we happily did. Eezeetee was told to remit Minister Mercy’s due, and everyone agreed on an independent audit. A neutral auditor was appointed. The audit was about to start when Eezeetee pulled out and refused to comply further on the excuse that his lawyer was not at the meeting where the audit was agreed upon. The auditor had to resign for lack of cooperation. Having seen the volume of revenue coming, he had to manipulate a new contract.

FoRGERY AnD DiVERSION InVESTIGATION

At the EFCC investigation panel in 2024, with all parties present and their lawyers, it was established that the sum of USD 274,000 had been unlawfully retained and diverted by Eezeetee from digital platform revenues reviewed as at then. Eezeetee claimed Minister Mercy had asked him to help keep part of the revenue to avoid mismanagement and that he was holding the remaining to ensure reconciliation before releasing the payment. He stated there was no intention to steal. He was understood. The money was recovered peacefully.

Eezeetee now admitted at the EFCC office for very first time that there were two contracts, the original signed in 2017 and another he introduced two years after the actual contract had been signed. He, however, appealed that the matter be settled amicably in peace. He started crying and preached peace. Minister Mercy broke down emotionally also in tears. There was forgiveness and reconciliation.

The Legal Practitioner representing Mr. Eezeetee, Dapo Akinosun SAN, Senior Partner at Simmons Cooper Partners admonished that parties should settle as Christian family. Eezeetee apologized in tears to Minister Mercy, and reconciliation was encouraged. Parties settled, and the learned silk encouraged that a settlement agreement be prepared and signed afterward.

A draft agreement was prepared and sent to us by the Learned Silk representing Eezeetee, outlining terms aimed at amicably resolving the matter. After reviewing the draft, we provided our input to address certain terms and awaited the signing of the final settlement agreement. However, upon following up with the Learned Silk, the last response remained that we should wait.

CoURT CaSE

Just as we were waiting for Eezeetee to finalize the settlement peacefully by signing, we were told that Eezeetee had engaged a new lawyer and had now taken the matter to court. Eezeetee was the one who filed a court case against Mercy Chinwo and Judikay separately, in suit referenced – LMDC/09-24/289/WI-M. The same Eezeetee pushed the false report of Minister Mercy taking him to court for a catalogue to mislead the public and draw sentiments or pity to him.

He filed another suit in court against the EFCC for investigating the allegations. We latter heard that he has been charged for fraud by EFCC, a warrant of arrest issued for him to be compelled to appear before the court.

FiNAL SeTTLEMENT

Minister Mercy firmly believes that the Lord has settled her and wiped away her tears, reaffirming her position that these issues are not beyond resolution. However, Eezeetee should tell the world as he has been doing, what happened to the 2017 contract she signed in Port Harcourt? What is the reason behind the introduction of a new Lagos-based contract in 2019? Why was the document forged? and why has he refused to inform the public about the true state of the two contracts.

Minister Mercy deeply appreciates your prayers, love, and continued support during this time”, SiGNED: Pelumi Olajengbesi Esquire, Solicitors and Attorneys-at-Law to Minister Mercy Chinwo.