Police authority in Calabar Cross River State, on Tuesday, denied any unlawful release of the Pastor of a Spiritual Church in Calabar who was arrested over allegation of ritual killing of an 18 months old infant.
The embattled pastor who goes by the name “Rev. Dr. Tony Obo” of Royal God’s Commandments Ministries International” was paraded alongside six other suspects of the alleged murder before newsmen.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Hafiz Inuwa who was represented by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Irene Ugbo told newsmen that the suspects will “immediately” be charged to court and also introduced the mother of the18 months old infant whose body part with blood stains was believed to have been seen with the pastor when the police stormed his church on a tipoff.
The commissioner said rumours that the suspect had been freed were false.
“We have come to show the world that the people are still in our custody. There is no way the police can release any murder and kidnapping suspect without due process. They are already here. We are going to charge them to court immediately. The other suspects are here because they aided in the abduction of the little girl. They will be charged alongside the pastor to the court. The body of the baby has not yet been found”, the police added.
The mother of the baby, a 20-year old Faith Inyang explained that on the fateful day last Thursday around 3.am at mid-night, three armed men broke into her house and forcefully took her baby away from her.
She gave the name of the child as Success, noting that the baby was her first and only child.
According to her at day break, with the help of a neighbor, they suspected a young man who was confronted and they were able to trace that the baby was carried to Pastor Obo’s church. At the church, the pastor was seen in a blood stained dress while the little child may had been dismembered and its inner parts removed. The Police was called in immediately, she noted.
Tony Obo, the pastor, told journalists he was not guilty of the allegations against him.
When asked about the blood stains he was caught with within his church and the body part (human heart) that was seen where he was caught, he stammered and said the blood found in his church belonged to a goat, which he used for his prayers.
Also that the heart found was that of a chicken and all the charms and other fetish items found in his church were what the children used for acting whenever they wanted to present a drama.
It will be recalled that the main auditorium of his church located at Okon Edak street of Atamunu in Calabar South and the Branch of the same church in N0.6 Abua street also in Calabar south local government area were both demolished by enraged youths who heard how the Pastor was caught with the alleged blood and body part of the infant.
When the church buildings were demolished and ransacked; altar desecrated, found items in the altar included ladies and men under wears, wooden dolls of men and women tied together with their photographs, photos of persons being pad locked, dresses, shoes, and some fetishistic items.
Some residents in Calabar who know the pastor have alleged that he is associated with fetish and diabolic practices as well as a lot of controversies including the mysterious death of two of his sons on the same day two years ago.
