A single mother of two, Sandra Okpara, has recovered ₦1,640,200 she mistakenly transferred to an account linked to Pastor Jerry Eze’s Streams of Joy International.
Okpara’s appeal for help went viral on social media after she realised on Friday that she had sent the money to the wrong account.
She explained that the money did not belong to her and was intended for payments she was expected to make.
“This money is not my money. I cannot do offering of ₦1,640,200. Please help me trace the accounts,” she said in a video shared online.
Speaking to PUNCH Online on Saturday, Okpara said she had made a ₦1,000 offering earlier that Friday before intending to transfer more than ₦1.6m to a Zenith Bank account.
According to her, she mistakenly selected the wrong recipient while making the larger transaction.
“My hand just clicked that one. Before God and man, it was erroneous,” she said.
Okpara said she initially approached Zenith Bank after discovering the error but could not recover the money through the bank.
She subsequently went to Moniepoint, where she said a complaint was lodged, but she was told that a court order would be required.
Unsure of how to directly contact the church, she said she eventually turned to Pastor Jerry Eze’s online prayer platform before deciding to make a public appeal on social media.
Okpara said she only noticed the mistake after opening the transfer receipt.
“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 recalled.
Her video eventually attracted the attention of Streams of Joy International, which said it contacted her after becoming aware of the appeal.
The church confirmed on Saturday that it had investigated the transaction and returned the money.
“We have transferred her money back to her,” Streams of Joy International said in a post on X.
The church said its direct-message channels and official contact lines remain available for people reporting erroneous transactions.
It also stated that it had not received a call, email, direct message or formal complaint from Okpara before her video was published.
According to the church, its representatives attempted to reach her through the phone number provided and via direct message after seeing the video. Okpara subsequently responded, and the transaction was reversed after the necessary verification.
Okpara confirmed that she had received the full refund.
“100 per cent,” she said when asked if the money had been returned.
She said a member of the church’s staff contacted her at about 6:22 am on Saturday, after which the money was refunded.
Okpara also clarified that her decision to post the video was not intended 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.
The incident highlights how quickly social media appeals can attract attention and help resolve financial disputes, particularly when conventional channels have failed to provide an immediate solution.
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