A single mother of two, Sandra Okpara, has recovered N1,640,200 she mistakenly transferred to an account linked to Pastor Jerry Eze’s Streams of Joy International, following a viral social media appeal seeking help to trace the funds.
Okpara had taken to social media on Friday to appeal to members of the church and the public, explaining that the money belonged to other people she was expected to pay and was not meant to be an offering.
She said, “This money is not my money. I cannot do offering of 1,640,200. Please help me trace the accounts.”
Speaking with PUNCH Online on Saturday, Okpara explained that she had earlier made a N1,000 transfer as an offering before attempting to send more than N1.6 million to a Zenith Bank account.
“My hand just clicked that one. Before God and man, it was erroneous,” she said.
After discovering the mistake, Okpara said she initially visited Zenith Bank in an attempt to recover the funds but was unsuccessful. She subsequently went to Moniepoint, where a complaint was lodged, although she was told that a court order was required.
“I went to Moniepoint; they lodged the complaint, but they were asking for a court order.
“I don’t know how to contact them. I went to Pastor Jerry’s online prayer platform,” she said.
Okpara said she only noticed the error after opening the transfer receipt.
“I didn’t see it. I just made the transfer. After I did it, I had to open the receipt. I was screaming. I had to go to the toilet. I urinated. I came out. I looked at it that there was no hope,” she said.
With other attempts to recover the funds proving unsuccessful, she eventually made a public appeal, hoping that the video would be shared widely and reach individuals who could help trace the money.
The appeal subsequently caught the attention of Streams of Joy International, which said it contacted Okpara after becoming aware of the viral video.
In a post on X on Saturday, the church said it had investigated the transaction, confirmed the circumstances surrounding the transfer and refunded the money.
“We have transferred her money back to her,” Streams of Joy International said.
The church also stated that its direct-message channels and official contact lines remained available to receive reports concerning erroneous transactions.
According to the church, it had not received any call, email, direct message or formal complaint from Okpara before she released the video online.
“Upon becoming aware of the video, we immediately attempted to contact her through the phone number provided and via direct message,” the church said.
The church added that Okpara eventually responded, after which the transaction was reversed following the necessary investigation and confirmation.
Following the refund, Okpara confirmed to PUNCH Online that she had received the full amount.
“100 per cent,” she said when asked if she had been refunded.
She disclosed that the refund was made at about 6:22 am on Saturday after a member of the church’s staff contacted her.
“I had to do the video to push out for people to share it, and it happened. And to the glory of God, around 6.22 this morning, one of their staff member called me, and I was refunded,” she said.
Okpara further clarified that her decision to make the matter public was not motivated by any desire to damage the reputation of Pastor Jerry Eze or Streams of Joy International.
“That’s the power of social media. It’s not because I want to do it to tarnish Pastor Jerry’s image,” she said.
