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Aba Church Bombing: Pastor Rejects Police Claims, Insists Incident Occurred, Was Not Fabricated
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Associate Pastor of the United Evangelical Church, Ehere/Umuole Aba, Pastor Eleazar Onyenweaku, has faulted the Abia State Police Command over its denial that an explosive was discovered within the church premises last Friday.
Pastor Onyenweaku, insisted that an explosive device was exhumed from the soil while workers were digging a foundation for a new perimeter fence around the church parsonage.
Recall that the Abia State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Maureen Chinaka, had earlier issued a statement dismissing reports that a bomb or explosive was found at the church.
The police statement read in part:
“I can authoritatively confirm that no bomb or explosive was recovered from the said area. Thorough investigations conducted through the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) covering the area have affirmed this.
“The church, which had encroached on the road currently being reconstructed by the government, was asked to move back slightly to create space for the project. This directive was not complied with, prompting the military to intervene to ensure compliance.
“During the process, an iron rod, part of a pillar of the church structure being adjusted, was removed by the military. Therefore, there was nothing resembling a bomb or explosive recovered anywhere in Aba.”
The statement, however, said that the police, “as the lead internal security agency, remain vigilant in ensuring the protection of lives and property.”
Pastor Onyenweaku expressed shock over the police denial, questioning how such a conclusion was reached without officers visiting the church premises.
He maintained that a team of soldiers, led by a Captain, evacuated the explosive after it was discovered, wondering how the police could dismiss what he described as a “factual and dangerous incident.”
Narrating the incident, the cleric said the church had engaged labourers to excavate a foundation for a new perimeter fence following a government directive to give way for road expansion.
According to him, the labourers were digging on Friday when one of them noticed a metallic object less than a foot beneath the soil surface.
He explained that the workers had been instructed to dig carefully because of underground water pipes supplying the parsonage, a precaution he said prevented a possible disaster.
“Government marked our fence for demolition to allow road expansion, so we were asked to draw back and rebuild, which we complied with,” he said.
“While the workers were scraping the soil, not digging aggressively, one of them noticed something unusual. He initially thought it was scrap metal. As they discussed selling it, the site engineer came, collected it and began washing it at a tap to examine it.
“When I arrived and saw it, having lived in Northern Nigeria where I had seen explosives before, I immediately recognized it. I noticed that the safety ring was still intact. I shouted and quickly took the object to a plantain stand within the premises.”
The pastor said he immediately attempted to contact military personnel he knew, and when those efforts failed, he rushed to Ndoki Primary School where a military base is located.
“I reported the incident and showed them photographs. They followed standard protocols, contacted their superiors, and accompanied me back to the church in a Hilux vehicle. After examining it, they confirmed it was a dangerous explosive, evacuated it, and advised us to exercise caution in case more were buried around the area,” he added.
Explaining why he did not first report the matter to the police, Pastor Onyenweaku said he believed the military was better equipped to handle explosives.
“I felt it was a military matter. I have not seen police handling launchers or explosives. So I reported to the Army, whom I believed could respond swiftly,” he said.
On whether any recent conflict had occurred in the area, the cleric said none had, adding that he doubted the device was a relic of the Nigerian Civil War.
“I don’t think it was from the civil war because it was not rusted. It looked relatively new,” he noted.
While he said he was not directly suspecting anyone, the pastor appealed to the government and security agencies to conduct a thorough scan of the premises for possible additional explosives, stressing that church members now live in fear.
He disclosed that operatives who identified themselves as officials of the Department of State Services (DSS), alongside intelligence personnel from Umuahia, had visited the church and conducted preliminary inquiries.
Pastor Onyenweaku appealed to Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, to intervene, urging a comprehensive investigation and enhanced security around the church premises to forestall any future danger.
Some elders of the church, Elder Andy Amadi, and Deacon Obioma Adielle, present during the visit, corroborated the account of the Associate Pastor, appealing to Government not to take the incident lightly.
Meanwhile, efforts to speak with the Security Adviser to the Governor, Navy Commander MacAnthony Ubah, were unsuccessful as he did not pick calls put across to him.
He had yet to respond to a text message sent to his phone as at the time of filing this report.
When contacted, the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 14 Brigade Ohafia, Captain Mazinho Attah, promised to get back to our Correspondent on the matter.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Thursday alleged that the All Progressives Congress, APC, plans to release former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai after the 2027 elections.
ADC’s spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi said the APC knows that the opposition would be stronger if El-Rufai is released before the election.
Featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Abdullahi insisted that the ADC is against making it difficult for El-Rufai to be granted bail.
He said: “ADC is not opposed to anybody who has a legitimate case to answer from being prosecuted but when you are holding someone in custody for bailable offences and you proceed to arraign that person and make impossible conditions for bail to meet, it creates room for us to believe that you deliberate intend to hold this person in perpetuity.
“What I can tell you is that the thinking within the ADC is that the APC government has concluded that they will not release Mallam Nasir El-Rufai until after the election.
“That’s what we believe, that’s the plan, and that’s what they plan to do. They know that with Mallam Nasir El-Rufai freed, the opposition is stronger and they know that if they release him, he would remind them of certain things that they would rather forget.
“We in the opposition believe that they are doing everything to make sure that El-Rufai remains in custody until after the election.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the leader of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, before Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for alleged fraud.
Bodejo was arraigned on a 12-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of $2.33 million.
At the day’s proceedings, the prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu, drew the attention of the court to a 12-count charge application dated June 24, 2026 and filed June 25, 2026, urging the court to allow the defendant to take his plea, to which the judge granted his request.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges, following which the prosecution counsel, Shittu, asked the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service.
Counsel for the defence, Ahmed Raji, however, prayed the court to admit his client to bail in respect of his bail application, filed on June 30, 2026.
The bail application was, however, opposed by the prosecution counsel, who drew the attention of the court to his counter-affidavit. He pointed out that the defendant is a public risk, as the Department of State Security Services (DSS) is on the lookout for him, and that being an influential person, he may manipulate the witnesses and the progress of the case.
Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered that he be remanded at the EFCC’s holding facility and adjourned the matter till July 20 for ruling on the bail application.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Bello Abdullahi Bodejo (male, adult), on or about the 11th day of January 2022, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly and wilfully, without lawful authority or excuse, accept a cash payment of the sum of One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD $100,000.00) in physical currency from one Sa’idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State who is currently in the lawful custody of the Nigeria Police Force, which sum exceeded the statutory cash transaction threshold of Five Million Naira (N5,000,000.00), prescribed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), without routing the said transaction through a financial institution as required by law, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 16(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.”
Count four reads: “That you, Bello Abdullahi Bodejo (male, adult), on or about the 7th day of February 2024, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly and wilfully, without lawful authority or excuse, accept a cash payment of the sum of Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $980,000.00) in physical currency from one Sa’idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, who is currently in the lawful custody of the Nigeria Police Force, which sum exceeded the statutory cash transaction threshold of Five Million Naira (N5,000,000.00) prescribed under Section 2(1)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, without routing the said transaction through a financial institution as required by law, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 19(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the same Act.”
The Senate has approved a total of ₦403.1 billion for the Nigerian Police Trust Fund to strengthen policing and support the fight against terrorism, kidnapping, and other security challenges across the country for two consecutive years.
The upper chamber approved ₦170.1 billion for the Police Trust Fund’s 2025 fiscal year, as well as ₦233 billion for the 2026 fiscal year.
The approved 2026 budget covers personnel costs, capital projects, and overhead expenditures aimed at enhancing the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Lawmakers expressed optimism that the funding will improve the provision of critical equipment, infrastructure, training and other resources needed to bolster security operations and address the country’s growing security concerns.
The move comes amid a rising spate of crime across Nigeria, with citizens calling for authorities to tighten security in the nation.
Tinubu Seeks Senate’s Approval For Criminal Justice Reform Bill
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a legislative proposal to the Senate seeking to reform the country’s criminal justice system through the repeal and reenactment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
The proposed legislation seeks to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and replace it with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s criminal justice framework.
A key provision of the bill is the establishment of a criminal justice monitoring council to oversee the implementation of the law in courts within the FCT and other federal courts across the country.
In a communication to the Senate during plenary, President Tinubu said the proposed legislation is designed to address procedural gaps and long-standing challenges that have hindered the speedy dispensation of justice.
According to the President, the bill also seeks to align Nigeria’s criminal justice system with emerging developments by promoting the use of technology, introducing innovative measures and enhancing the effective implementation of the law by relevant institutions.
The proposed legislation is to undergo legislative consideration by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters.
APC plans to release El-Rufai after 2027 election – ADC
EFCC Arraigns Miyetti Allah Leader Bodejo Over Alleged $2.33m Money Laundering
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