A 52-year old pastor, Adetokunbo Adenokpo, who was arrested by the police after abducting a dispatch rider with Glory Master Logistics, said he was into kidnapping to raise money to donate to charity.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), DCP Frank Mba, while parading the pastor alongside 34 others arrested for various offences at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, said the dispatch rider was rescued from an underground facility in the pastor’s church in Sagamu, Ogun State.
The pastor, according to Mba, claimed that he decided to kidnap people to raise money to purchase food items to be given to the poor during the upcoming Sallah festivities.
Mba said the dispatch rider, who distributes Forever Living products, was abducted by Adenokpo, the General Overseer of Newlife Church of God located at Sagamu and his gang when he went to deliver some items in his church.
“In my church we do charity; 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.
“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.
Also paraded by the police in Abuja was a four man gang that was terrorizing people in the South East part of the country. The leader of the gang was identified as one Udodiri Bright Chikezie, 27, who returned from South Africa.