The police have apprehended Pastor Richard Onyekachukwu for allegedly faking his kidnap.
Onyekachukwu, who was arrested by the Force Intelligence Response Team, led by Abba Kyari, was reported lacking on June 16, 2021, by his brother, recognized as Prosper.
Proper claimed the pastor had been kidnapped and that the perpetrators had already opened a telephone line conversation with them, demanding an enormous sum of money earlier than he could possibly be let out.
In the course of the investigation, the IGP workforce visited the home of the sufferer and met his spouse, who seemed unperturbed as if nothing sinister occurred to her or her husband.
At that time, the operatives deceived her by telling her after introducing themselves as policemen that they have been on an investigative mission in an alleged case of armed theft in opposition to her husband, a police supply stated.
It was revealed that, at that time, the girl shouted in bewilderment and informed the police that her husband was not an armed robber however had traveled to Taraba state, including that he went for a enterprise journey.
She additional informed the operatives that she noticed her husband a few week in the past however that his members of the family thought he had been in captivity on the kidnappers’ camp for 3 weeks.
At this level, she was arrested for additional interrogation. At the station, she confessed that your entire saga was a deliberate and orchestrated self-kidnap.
She confessed that her husband introduced the thought and that she performed alongside.
According to her confessions, her husband had financial challenges.
She stated that he was looking for a strategy to increase cash to repay the loans he collected.
“He wanted to collect the money and pay up his debt,” she informed the police, including that her husband was as a consequence of go to the home.
Armed with all this information, the police laid an ambush for which led to his arrest the subsequent day, being June 18.
Following his arrest, Pastor Richard made a confessional assertion that additionally led the police to arrest his good friend, Enoch.
According to the police, Enoch posed as one of many childnappers, who was assigned the duty of asking for the ransom cash.
Onyekachukwu stated, “I am from Idemili South Local Government Area. I am the second child in a family of seven. I am a pastor and contractor. I had a big church, but the roof was blown away by the wind. The name of my church is Resurrection Power Church. I took some loans to assist the businesses that I was doing to support the ministry. It was about N600,000: 00.
“Due to this, I discovered myself in monetary challenges. At the identical time, paying the mortgage turned troublesome. I made some losses in my poultry enterprise and the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t assist issues.
“The banks were after me and I didn’t know what to do. I was thinking of getting money from my younger brother, Prosper, a rich civil servant, to offset the loan before I was dragged to court. It wasn’t easy; that was why the thought of self-kidnap came to me. I don’t know why I decided to use that strategy.
“I referred to as my good friend Enoch and shared my ideas with him. Enoch can also be a pastor. Initially he didn’t settle for, however after a while, he agreed. I informed him that even whether it is N1,000, 000 or N500,000, I will probably be glad.”
On why he requested that his brother, Prosper must bring the ransom personally, Richard said, “I’ve no particular motive to ask that my brother, Prosper ought to convey the cash. I by no means even considered that as a problem. This is one thing I believed would finish throughout the household. I deliberate to tell him after a while.
“I demanded N10million, and they bargained to N5 million and finally N2million. We were still waiting to hear from him when police arrested me at home.”
Mary Onyekachukwu, the spouse stated, “We stay in Maraba, Nasarawa State. I’m a petty dealer. My husband informed me that he could be travelling on a business journey on May 20. After some days we couldn’t attain him once more. I referred to as his brothers and defined to them. They stated I ought to loosen up, that he’ll come. It took about three days earlier than somebody referred to as to say that my husband had been kidnapped they usually have been demanding N10million. After every week, he got here again.
“I met him as a pastor and I was taught to be submissive. I was just submissive; it is not about love but obeying the word of God. I don’t have any words to justify myself. I am finding it difficult to forgive myself.”