A 65-year-old pastor has been arrested by the police in Imo state for the kidnap and murder of a former local government chairman in the state.
Pastor arrested for Kidnap,murder of Local Government boss
It was gathered that the pastor, popularly known as Rev. Lord Ojeee hired a gang of kidnappers for a fee of N2m
Nduwusi Kanu , the General Overseer of the Kingdom of God Conscious Movement International has been put in police detention after he was identified as the mastermind behind the kidnap and murder of 70-year-old Godwin Igbo, who was the former Chairman of Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.
It was gathered that the pastor, popularly known as Rev. Lord Ojeee hired a gang of kidnappers for a fee of N2m, out of which he made an initial deposit of N50,000 for the abduction of Igbo over an alleged land dispute and chieftaincy title of Eze Agu Nechenba 1 of Ikpoeze 1 of Arondizuogu community in Imo State.
The kidnap took a wrong turn after the victim died in the hands of his captors. The former council boss was quickly buried by his abductors in a shallow grave in a forest at Lokpanta, Abia State.
The Sun reports that after investigations by the police, pastor Ojee, and his accomplices 22-year-old Adindu Chukwu a.k.a. Alhaji and a 27-year-old Udoh Amaechi Oko were arrested.
One of the kidnappers identified as 'Black' was killed by the police in a different clash which occurred between the force and a cult group Vicking Confraternity, which the deceased belonged to.
The police alleged that Black had confessed before he died that he was part of the gang that killed the late Igbo and buried him in an Abia forest.
Confessing to the crime, one of the suspects, Adindu Chukwu said:“Rev Lord Ojee is my uncle. He is the younger brother to my mother. Rev Lord Ojee came to the village, Umulolo Okigwe every month and he has a misunderstanding with the late Godwin Igbo over 10 years ago over land dispute and the chieftaincy title of “Eze Agu Nechenba 1 of Ikpo Eze 1 of Arondizuogu community. My uncle, Rev Lord Ojee approached me and wanted me to organise some boys to kidnap the late Godwin Igbo to show him that he has power.
“I have to meet ‘Black’, one of the leaders of kidnappers who is now late and he organised five members for the job and that include myself. My uncle promised to settle us with N2 million if the job was accomplished and he gave me N50,000 for drinks and welfare which we used to enjoy ourselves before we carried out the operation” , he said. Chukwu further confessed: “We went to the late Godwin Igbo to kidnap him in his village at Ekpa Eze in Aro Ndinuzo –Ogu in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State around 8.00pm on April 10, 2014. We took him away and we kept the victim inside a Toyota car and put him in the boot of the car. He fainted and in the process he died.
“We took the corpse of the late Igbo into a thick forest and buried him in a shallow grave on April 10, 2014. We collected the deceased’s two phones and called his family members and demanded N2 million ransom. The family members didn’t know that Igbo was dead. They paid N500,000 to us and two days later, I went to meet my uncle, Rev Lord Ojee and explained to him that Godwin Igbo was kidnapped and was dead. The intention of my uncle was not to kill Igbo but to kidnap him and keep him away but unfortunately he died.
“I came to meet my uncle, to collect the N2 million that he promised us. My uncle insisted that since we have collected N500, 000 from the deceased’s family that that should be okay for us. My uncle gave me N5,000 for transport.”
Speaking further, Chukwu said: “My uncle, Ojee quickly called the elders in the village to Genesis Hotel, Okigwe to hear from the elders whether they will mention his name or suspected whether he is the one who killed Godwin Igbo. I have serious quarrel with my uncle for refusing to pay the N2 million he promised us. I was given N60,000 as a share of the money we collected from the deceased’s family.”
Another suspect, Udoh Amaechi Oko, who hails from Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, explained: “It was Chukwu who contacted our gang leader, ‘Black’ who is now late, that we should kidnap Godwin Igbo over a land and chieftaincy dispute with his uncle, Rev Lord Ojee. We kidnapped the deceased and kept him in the boot of the car. Later, he died”.
“We called the deceased’s family and demanded N2 million and they paid N500,000 and I was given a share of N80,000”, he said .
In his reaction, Rev Lord Ojee told Saturday Sun: “I have been in ministry for almost 50 years. It is true I had a misunderstanding with the deceased, Godwin Igbo for over 10 years. I know the suspect, Adindu Chukwu, he is my elder sister’s son. I heard that Igbo died when they kidnapped him”, he said.
CP Adamu, speaking to newsmen stated that the suspects would soon be charged to court, saying the police had already gone to the scene of the crime to exhume the corpse of Godwin Igbo.
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