The Police force headquarters in Abuja has paraded a 52-year old self-acclaimed pastor, Adetokunbo Adenokpo, for abducting a dispatch rider and detaining him in an underground facility in his church in Sagamu, Lagos.
The suspect, had called the company where the dispatch rider works, Glory Master Logistics, who mainly distributes Forever Living products and ordered for supply of some products to be delivered at his residence only to abduct the rider.
The police also paraded 34 other suspects for kidnapping, armed robbery ritual killers, and cattle rustlers for terrorizing innocent travelers with their deadly activities.
Parading the suspects, Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, said the dispatch rider with Glory Master Logistics, Job Ekpe Jonathan, who mainly distributes Forever Living products was abducted by Adenokpo and his gang when he went to deliver some items in his church.
According to Mba, the pastor, who claims to be the General Overseer of Newlife Church of God located at Sagamu, injected Jonathan with anesthesia to weaken him, tied him and kept him for ten days before he was eventually rescued by men of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), who also arrested the pastor and his accomplices.
The suspect in an interview with journalists, said he was ordained a pastor 22 years ago after leaving the Living Faith Church where he initially worshiped before opening his own ministry.
He said “In my church we do charity, where I share food and palliative to people and this became stronger during the COVID-19. I felt pity for people and I don’t have any money in my account and people still come to me for help”.
On how he came about the underground cell at his church where he detained the victim, he said the underground facility was built when he was attacked by some persons sometime ago. He said the underground cell has made it possible and easy for him to escape whenever he comes under attack and that many are looking at him as a powerful man of God.
He also said he employed the services of some young men around as security guards for his protection.
“A few weeks ago we were short of funds. So I had the idea of doing something for Ileya so I can get some bags of rice and beans and palm oil and other things to share, and probably with a ram, which we can cut and give to poor people and we thought we should get money from the rich companies and then raise money and use it to take care of poor people.
“The three of us were involved in the kidnap of Jonathan with the hope of raising funds for the Ileya. I injected him because he was struggling I did not want him to be injured,” he said.
Mba also paraded another four man kidnapping gang who specializes in killing their victims. The suspects who operates in the South East part of the country led by one Udodiri Bright Chikezie, 27, a South Africa returnee, confessed to have killed four of their victims since they started kidnapping in 2018. They also confessed to have carried out about 10 successful operations before they were arrested.
Also arrested was another gang led by one Musa Umar, who carried out most of their operations around Katsina State.
Mba said Umar confessed to killing five persons with machetes.
The FPRO said a total of 35 suspects were arrested for different cases from armed robbery, kidnapping, cattle rustling and car theft to unlawful possession of weapons and other sundry offenses.
“A total of four AK 47 rifles, 361 rounds of live AK 47 ammunitions and five other weapons of different makes were recovered from this different gangs. Also recovered from one of the hands and anti-tracking device. This is the second time we are recovering a jammer or anti tracking device from established car theft syndicate.
“In a particular case where the anti-tracking device was recovered we discovered one suspect who is still at large had procured some Nigerians and provided them with the devices and commissioned them to go on a car stealing spree. A total of 30 cars of different makes mainly Toyota and Honda products have been stolen by the syndicate. Our operatives from IRT have successfully recovered 18 out of these vehicles”
