By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a domestic staff member alleged to have masterminded the gruesome murder of his employer, a Pentecostal Bishop based in Asaba, Delta State, before allegedly fleeing with the cleric’s Toyota Prado Jeep to Anambra State in an attempt to sell it.
The suspect, whose identity was not immediately disclosed by the Police, was said to be the personal driver and domestic aide of the deceased Bishop of End-Reconciliation Ministry, Asaba.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra State, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed the development in a statement to newsmen on Wednesday, revealed that the suspect was arrested alongside another individual alleged to be the intended buyer of the stolen vehicle.
According to the statement, the breakthrough followed a swift intelligence-led operation carried out by operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu.
Preliminary investigations, according to the Police, revealed that the suspect allegedly conspired with other yet-to-be-identified criminal elements to murder the cleric before fleeing with his Toyota Prado Jeep to Anambra State to sell it.
The PPRO further revealed that Police operatives, acting on credible intelligence, tracked and intercepted the suspects in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area of the state, where the vehicle was recovered and the suspects taken into custody for further interrogation.
The Command noted that investigations were still ongoing to arrest other fleeing members of the gang and fully unravel the circumstances surrounding the murder of the cleric.
SP Ikenga said in his reaction to the incident, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, advised members of the public to exercise caution and proper scrutiny in the recruitment and management of domestic staff, drivers, and other household employees.
He further urged residents to properly verify and profile persons employed in their homes and establishments, while also remaining alert to suspicious attitudes and behaviours.
The Commissioner further reassured residents of the Command’s commitment to intelligence-driven policing and proactive security operations aimed at safeguarding lives and property across the state.
As at the time of filing this report, further details surrounding the identity of the deceased Bishop and the circumstances leading to his murder were still being awaited from the Police.
