The Police Command in Rivers has arrested two suspected fake pastors found in possession of fetish items in the Rumuduru community of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, made this known in a statement on Friday in Port Harcourt. She said the suspects were handed over to the police by residents of Rumuduru. According to her, the two suspects operated separate churches within the community. Iringe-Koko said;
The fake pastors were handed over to the police by youths from Rumuduru, led by their President, Henry Worlu, on January 20.
The youths raided the area and arrested Bassey and Elijah from their respective churches.
During interrogation, Bassey admitted to using spiritual materials, such as water and oil, to heal individuals suffering from spiritual afflictions.
He also revealed that he used a small casket and a ‘miracle life oil’ to pray for people with mental issues, claiming they would recover within three months.
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She added that the Bassey had been residing and operating in the Rumuduru community for 17 years. Items recovered from the suspects include a firearm cartridge, small wooden caskets, a sword, a fake Nigerian Navy identification card, and thousands of photographs.
Other items seized were children’s footwear, a police lanyard, and various crosses and spiritual materials. Iringe-Koko confirmed;
The suspects and the recovered exhibits are currently in police custody, and a discreet investigation is ongoing.
Furthermore, operatives of the Ondo State Police Command have apprehended a couple from Edo State, Lukman Isiaka, 42, and Abosede Olanipekun, 23, in connection with a series of child abductions across Ondo and Osun states.
The couple, who are accused of kidnapping children and selling them for ₦1 million each, were arrested following a police investigation that uncovered their disturbing activities.
Police have successfully recovered 10 of the stolen children, although some parents are still searching for their missing children. Authorities say the couple used various tactics to abduct the children, including deceptive promises and false identities.
The children, whose names were reportedly changed, were found to have been relocated to Ihiala in Anambra State, where they were sold to 62-year-old Sabina Izuorah.
Investigations suggest that Isiaka and Olanipekun may have previously been involved in similar abductions in Edo State before expanding their operations to Ondo and Osun. Many of the victims no longer recognized their parents, and some spoke the Igba dialect, indicating they had been raised away from their homes for extended periods.
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Among the recovered children were four babies, aged between one and six weeks, whose parents remain unknown. Police also revealed that the couple's most recent abduction occurred in 2022 when they took a child from her mother. Isiaka posed as a man named Samuel Adejobi and introduced his wife as his sister, Ewatomi.
After promising the mother to buy her a phone, Isiaka left the child with his alleged sister, only for the mother to discover later that both he and the child had disappeared. The couple’s arrest came after police tracked them to their home in Edo, following a report of the missing child.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to identify the full extent of their crime.
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