The United Kingdom’s Charity Commission has frozen the assets of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries International, a church founded by Dr. Daniel Olukoya, over concerns about transparency and governance.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In a report published on Monday, the commission said it launched a statutory inquiry after identifying financial irregularities, including the alleged misappropriation of charity funds.
The inquiry, which began in 2018, found that trustees of the MFM Charity in the UK could not demonstrate effective control or oversight of more than 100 bank accounts operated by individual branches. According to the report, many of the charity’s financial problems stemmed from its complex structure, which expanded from a few branches to more than 90 locations across the country without adequate improvements in governance.
Branches were found to have operated autonomously, opening bank accounts without central approval and failing to report income in a timely manner. This, the commission said, created substantial risks to charitable funds and resulted in inaccurate financial reporting.
Investigators also discovered that some branch offices made major financial decisions, including property purchases and lease agreements, without the knowledge or authorization of the trustees. The commission further highlighted weaknesses in the church’s constitution and governance framework, noting that the general overseer retained significant influence over trustee appointments and key decisions.
This arrangement, the report said, limited independent oversight and contributed to poor accountability. The lack of proper trustee supervision led to financial losses, with some branch accounts holding large sums of money for unclear purposes.
As a result of its findings, the commission moved to freeze the charity’s assets to prevent further loss. Neither an MFM spokesperson nor Dr. Olukoya has issued a public statement as of the time of this report.
GospelRaw gathered that in 2019, the Charity Commission appointed an interim manager for MFM following earlier concerns about its operations. The regulator cited repeated late filing of financial information and administrative failures that exposed the charity to significant losses.
MFM is not the first Nigerian-founded church to come under scrutiny in the UK. In recent years, other Nigerian-origin churches, including SPAC Nation in December 2024 and Christ Embassy in November 2019, have been investigated over governance and financial accountability issues.
The incident raises questions about how fast-growing international churches adapt their internal systems when operating in highly regulated environments like the UK, where registered charities are required to meet strict standards for transparency and financial reporting.
An interim manager was also appointed to oversee Christ Embassy after similar governance concerns were raised by the Charity Commission.
