A former armed robber and ex-convict, Temitope Kolawole, has revealed why he frequently targeted branches of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) during his years of criminal activity.
Kolawole, who spent a total of 25 years and seven months in prison, said his choice of RCCG was not driven by personal grievances but by what he described as the availability of money and valuable equipment in many of its churches. RCCG is led by Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, its General Overseer.
The Ekiti State indigene, born and raised in Ondo State, disclosed this during a recent interview. He currently lives in Ikorodu, Lagos State, and now identifies as an evangelist after giving his life to Christ in 2021.
Kolawole, who was first arrested at the age of 17, said he began stealing as early as age seven and later led robbery gangs that targeted both churches and individuals across Nigeria and neighbouring countries. He claimed to have robbed over 1,000 churches, focusing mostly on RCCG branches because of their musical instruments, equipment and cash.
“Anywhere I went, the first thing I would ask was to be taken to the RCCG headquarters in that area,” he said. “I would study the environment carefully before any operation. It wasn’t because the church offended me; it was simply because they had what we needed.”
He added that before every operation, he insisted his gang prayed, noting that he never relied on charms despite some of his accomplices doing so. According to him, his distrust of charms stemmed from his childhood, when various spiritual interventions failed to curb his criminal behaviour.
Kolawole said his criminal career escalated after his early imprisonment at the Kaduna Borstal Training Institution, where he claimed he learned how to use firearms. Upon his release in 1990, he returned to crime almost immediately and was repeatedly jailed, going to prison 12 times in total.
He described Nigerian prisons as places where criminal behaviour is often reinforced rather than corrected, alleging inequality between wealthy and poor inmates and widespread corruption within the system.
His turning point came in September 2021, when he said he encountered a written message titled “One Day” while preparing for another robbery. Deeply moved, he contacted the writer, who prayed with him and encouraged him to abandon crime.
“From that day till now, I have not stolen anything,” he said, challenging anyone to prove otherwise.
Kolawole said he is now an ordinary church member at Royal Church Ministry, preaching independently and visiting prisons for evangelism. Despite his transformation, he said life remains difficult due to stigma against ex-convicts, physical injury to his right hand, and limited education.
He also recounted losing his marriage while in prison and struggling to raise his nine-year-old son, who spent nearly three years in an orphanage before being released back to him by a court in October last year.
“Out of 43 of us who went out for operations together, I am the only one still alive today,” he said. “It is purely the grace and mercy of God.”