PHOTOS: Police parade two suspected fake pastors in Rivers

The Rivers State Police Command has paraded two alleged fake pastors, Umoren Bassey and Elijah Aniete, who were arrested on January 20, 2025, by the youths of Rumunduru in Oroigwe.

The suspects, aged 60 and 51 respectively, are natives of Akwa Ibom State and were handed over to the police for discreet investigation.

Parading the duo at the command headquarters on Thursday, the Spokesperson for the Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, noted that preliminary investigations revealed a trove of bizarre items in the church premises, including a live cartridge, a sword, two wooden coffins, fake naval passports, and thousands of people’s pictures and passports.

Other items recovered from the church include bottles containing unknown liquids, children’s shoes, calabashes, coconuts, Bibles, police uniforms, and various spiritual items. Notably, there was no python or big casket found among the items, contrary to initial reports.

Bassey’s church, God Deliverance Apostolic Church, and Aniete’s Power House of Glory International Church are both located along Eneka Road in Rumunduru, Obio-Akpor Council of Rivers State.

The police have assured the public that more findings will be made available as the investigation progresses.

The arrest of the two alleged fake pastors has sparked widespread interest and concern online, with many calling for greater scrutiny of religious leaders and their activities.

However, Bassey claimed that he uses spiritual materials for prayer, as directed by God. He alleged that the community planted some of the items found in his church and searched his house without a warrant. Bassey stated that he has been healing people and helping the community for 17 years.

He said: “You can use water and oil to heal people. I have lived there so long. It is a land case. I still have three weeks after a court judgment that asked me to quit. They used it to set me up. The community planted some of the materials they claimed they saw in my church. They searched my house without a warrant.

“I have been healing people, helping the community. I have lived there for 17 years. Some of the pictures you saw there are that of my son, and some are that of my members.

“I use the small casket or miracle life oil to pray for mad persons. The mad person must be calm within three months. I use it to help the community people.”

Aniete, who was arrested alongside Bassey, claimed that he owned a church and was visiting Bassey to discuss maritime-related issues.

He stated that Bassey is the captain of the Maritime Rescue Coastal Security organisation, and he had been invited to discuss a signal from Lagos.

He said: “I own a church. What brought me here is that we belong to an organisation of Maritime Rescue Coastal Security. Bassey is the captain in the Maritime.

“So he called me, he called me on Sunday, that he had a signal from Lagos that he wanted to relate with me. As I was with him, that was when the youths came in and arrested me.”

The Youth President of Rumunduru, Henry Worlu, revealed how the alleged fake pastors were apprehended by youths in the community.

According to Worlu, he received a call from the vigilante commander that a man was seen performing rituals at midnight, and upon investigation, the man was identified as Bassey, a pastor.

Worlu stated that the youths traced Bassey to his house and confronted him the next morning. Bassey denied any involvement in fetish activities, claiming he was a pastor.

However, when the youths asked to search his compound, Bassey refused, prompting them to force open one of his chambers, where they discovered various fetish items.

He narrated: “I was called by the vigilante commander that they saw a man performing rituals at midnight, and the man happened to be someone they know very well; they call him pastor.

“They traced him to his house. The next morning, the youths went to his house to ask him about what he was doing at the centre of the road. When we got there, we asked him, and he denied it. He said he was a pastor and had nothing to do with fetish things; he doesn’t deal with them.

“We met him with Elijah, and we asked him. He said he came to see his friend to talk about maritime issues. We allowed him.

“So we asked the man we came to see to allow us to check his compound. He refused entry. Until we opened one of his chambers, we saw all manner of fetish things.”

Photos: The suspects and the display of items recovered from their churches.