A pastor in Cross river state accused of abducting, killing a 1 year old girl, removing her heart and putting it in a white basin allegedly for rituals was defiant yesterday when he was paraded by the Police.
Pastor Anthony Obo of God’s Commandment Ministry International claimed the ‘occult items’ found in his church were drama costumes, while the blood found in a red bucket in his church was that of a goat and a chicken he killed to celebrate his baby’s dedication.
He had been arrested Thursday afternoon following a tip off by men of the Nigeria Police, Uwanse Division after an organ suspected to belong to 1 year old Ms Success Ime was unearthed in his church alongside goat heads, dead chicken, male and female effigies, wooden boat, crafted camel among others.
The pastor, who was paraded along with five other accomplices, told Vanguard that he did not abduct the one-year, six-month-old girl. He said:
“The red chairs covered in white sheet and the black bag and other occult items were used by the youth of my church for art and drama presentation, while the blood in the red bucket is that of the goat and chicken I killed to celebrate the dedication of my child who was one year last week.”
The pastor, who was once a commercial motorcyclist (Okadaman) watched without displaying any emotion as the Police displayed the items which he was said to have been using for his pastoral activities.
Spokesperson of Cross River Police Command, Ms Irene Ugbo, said the pastor and his accomplices were arrested following a confessional statement by one of the suspects that they were sent by the pastor to abduct and kill a baby, whose heart was put in a basin and handed over to him.
She said:
“The heart has been sent to the University of Calabar for forensic examination, while we are investigating where the body of the baby was dumped or buried.”
She said investigations into pictures of those found in the church are being carried out to identify the reason the pictures were found there.
According to reports, Pastor Anthony Obo was an okada rider until former Cross river state governor Liyel Imoke banned okada in Calabar and he started a church in his single room apartment at Atamunu Road where he lived.
End Time wonders.