Imo police nab two pastors, NSCDC official, husband over illegal sale of arms

Operatives of the Imo State Police Command have arrested two pastors, Chiedozie Mnachina of Jesus the work Healing Assembly Ministries, Uratta, for praying for alleged kidnappers and Pastor Benjamin Ndieze of Comfort Assembly Ministeries, Ihiagwa, Owerri West Local Council, and a female officer with the Imo State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Gloria Ogbonna and husband, Chukwuma, for allegedly selling arms and ammunition to criminals and kidnappers in the state.

The pastors were arrested after investigations linking them to crimes of alleged sale of arms for kidnap purposes among others criminal activities.

Also, the command’s officers have apprehended four women ex-convicts for alleged kidnap a five -year- old, Chinagorom Ndukwe, allegedly selling her at the rate of N400,000.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Chris Ezike, who on Thursday, at the command’s headquarers in Owerri, paraded the suspects,and over 50 others allegedly involved in cases ranging from kidnping, child trafficking, armed robbery to cultism, said some of the suspects were arrested in January 22, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, by a detachment of the Scorpion Squad, acting on intelligence reports.

The suspects involved in the kidnap of the little child are ,Chiamaka Ukeje,22, from Umuduru in Isiala Mbano Local Council of Imo State, Sandra Ezuka,26, who hails from Ozoro in Isoko Local Council of Delta state, Ruth Solomon ,41, from Umuehie, Anara, Isiala Mbano Local Council of Imo State, and Joy Edum,45, from Abua in Odua Local Council of Rivers State. They also made confessional statement to commission of the crime.

Ezike disclosed that the child had been recovered from the alleged buyer,Edum residing in Rumwara Obiakpo ,Rivers state, noting that the suspects would be charged to the courts soon, after concludingvinvestigatiins.

His words: “The suspects who are all resident in Rivers state have made useful statements to the police confessing to the crime.The suspects also stated that they all met themselves at the Federal Prisons ,Port Harcourt ,Rivers state.