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Security agencies arrest “Evangelists” selling kidnapped children
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Security agencies in Plateau State have broken a child trafficking gang that poses as evangelists.
This followed the arrest of five people for trafficking and selling of children.
Those arrested included Pastor Di Bernard, the head of the “End Time Army Ministry” in Bukuru, Plateau State.
Other individuals apprehended are Peter (a male), Namman Pel (a female), Victoria Ugu (a female), and R. Au (a female from Karu, Abuja).
According to a recent report by Symfoni TV, the gang specialised in kidnapping children and selling them for between N350,000 and N750,000 to members of the public.
However, five children between the ages of two and four were rescued on December 2, 2024, through an intelligence-led operation carried out by the law enforcement agencies.
The kids were said to have been kidnapped from Jos and other places in Plateau State.
During interrogations, the suspects provided information about the operations of the trafficking network.
Pastor Di Bernard confessed that he had been using his position as an evangelist to deceive parents into handing over their children.
“I went to Quanpan District in Plateau State under the disguise of evangelism, I told the parents that I had an NGO offering sponsorship for education, from primary school all the way to higher institutions.”
The investigation showed that between April and November 2024, Pastor Di Bernard had worked with R. Au to abduct no fewer than eight children from different communities in the Kanke and Bassa Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
The children were then sold to buyers in various states, including Plateau, Abia, Enugu, and Lagos, at prices ranging from N350,000 to N750,000 per child.
The children were sold under the guise of adoption, with the buyers subsequently changing the children’s names. Law enforcement agencies have so far successfully rescued 13 children, aged between two and ten years.
The children were returned to their families through the efforts of the Plateau State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
“This case is so pathetic, young children are being traded by certain individuals,” an official involved in the investigation remarked.
Heavily armed gunmen on Sunday morning reportedly abducted a seminarian of St Joseph Catholic Church and several other persons in Enugu State.
The gunmen were said to have invaded the Catholic church in the Inoyi community, Affa town, Udi Local Government Area of the state, and abducted the seminarian and an undisclosed number of other worshippers.
According to a video circulating online, the attackers stormed the church premises in the early hours of Sunday while residents were attending morning Mass.
A resident, who did not disclose his name in the video, said it was raining as people made their way to the church.
“Those who were on their way to the church saw a crowd running out of the premises. They were told that at least seven armed men had invaded the church and abducted some members, including the seminarian,” he said.
The residents said they pursued the kidnappers but were unable to do much because they were unarmed while the abductors were heavily armed.
He said members of the community were willing and able to protect themselves and enter the surrounding forests to search for the kidnappers.
However, the residents, who were gripped by fear following the incident, questioned how they could carry out such an operation without weapons.
They said even local security operatives in the area were not armed.
The residents called on the state government to intervene and ensure their safety or provide them with the means to defend themselves.
They also lamented that one of the abducted persons was an indigene of the community who had returned home to bury his father.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from officials of the Enugu State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, was left stunned after two suspected drug dealers requested to take a photograph with him shortly after they were arrested and interrogated.
The suspects, identified as Omini Ezeri, 46, and Chinedum Wagbara, 42, were apprehended during a stop-and-search operation while travelling in a Mercedes-Benz ML SUV with registration number AAA 604 JZ along the Agbarho-Warri Road.
A search of the vehicle and its occupants led to the recovery of two Beretta pistols, a substance suspected to be cocaine, and a dagger. The suspects are currently in police custody, while investigations continue.
As part of the investigation, Edafe interrogated the suspects. Shortly after the interview, the duo surprised the police spokesperson by asking to take a photograph with him.
In a follow-up post shared on social media, Edafe said he had never encountered such behaviour before, explaining that the suspects appeared to become excited once they realised he intended to interview them.
He added that despite being arrested with cocaine and two pistols, which they claimed were used for their drug business, they still requested to take a picture with him after the interrogation.
The Catholic Diocese of Otukpo in Benue State has confirmed the safe return of its seminarian, Kelvin Ochai, who was abducted by gunmen at Asa III in Otukpo Local Government Area of the state.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese, Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Itodo, on Saturday.
Itodo attributed the seminarian’s safe return to divine intervention and the prayers of Christians and well-wishers.
According to the diocese, the seminarian escaped from the custody of his abductors and made his way to Aliade in Gwer East Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, where he was reunited with his family unharmed.
“Through the prayers of the people of God, Kelvin escaped from the custody of his abductors on the evening of Friday, 31st July, 2026, and made his way to Aliade, Gwer East LGA of Benue State. He has since been safely reunited with his family and is unharmed,” the statement read in part.
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo, Most Rev. Michael Ekwoyi Apochi, expressed profound gratitude to priests, religious, lay faithful, and people of goodwill for their unwavering support and prayers during the period of the seminarian’s captivity.
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