The Rivers State Police Command has arrested the Senior Pastor of Altar of Grace Ministries, Pastor Chidiebere Okoroafor, in connection with the murder of three people, including two pregnant women and an infant in Oyigbo Local Government Area the State.
Pastor Okoroafor is at the moment helping investigators at the State Criminal Investigation Department to unravel the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Concilia Ezenwa and her daughter, Somto Ezenwa, our correspondent learnt.
It was reliably learnt that the bodies of the woman and her daughter were found alongside that of the third victim, Olumma Onweagba, within the premises of the nre generation church, near Izuom market in Oyigbo.
Preliminary investigation revealed that randy Pastor Okoroafor had impregnated Olumma Onwaagba who until her death was a member of the church choir.
It was gathered that the detained Pastor allegedly pressured his victim to terminate the pregnancy which she refused.
Olumma’s refusal to terminate the pregnancy led to her death and that of those who knew about the scandal, newsmen gathered.
Meanwhile, Joseph Ezenwa who is the husband of Concilia Ezenwa told newsmen that the pastor had invited his wife and her friend to amicably discuss the pregnancy but they never returned.
Ezenwa explained: “On the 11th of December, 2017 when I returned from my normal hustling I did not see my wife. I searched for her everywhere till around 11pm until I saw one of my neighbors who told me that my wife told her that she should tell me that she was going to see Pastor Okoroafor.
“Pastor Chidiebere Okoroafor invited Olumma to the Church so that they can settle the matter of her pregnancy amicably but Olumma decided to invite my wife to accompany her with the belief that the Pastor will not harm her if he sees a mature woman with a baby.
“The next day I went to Pastor and asked him where my wife and her friend are. The Pastor denied knowing them but later agreed but said he last saw them three months ago. Meanwhile two weeks before then my wife had told me she was going for prayer with her friend in that church and with the pastor. That was when I noticed foul play.
“Few days later I got a call from the Police. I went, behold I saw the body of a little child and a woman; the little child was my daughter while the woman was Olumma but we did not see my wife.
“After some days they called again and by this time it was my wife’s decomposing body in the Church premises.”
When contacted, the spokesman of the Rivers State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident. He said: “We are aware of the matter and it is being handled by the Homicide Department of the state CID.
“Some people have already been taken into custody including the pastor but where we are now is that doctors have been contracted to carry out an autopsy. We are on the matter and we will get to the bottom of it.”
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