Calabar clergyman arrested for commissioning armed robbers to rob wealthy members of his church

CALABAR clergyman Pastor Richard Daniel  has been arrested by the police after he is suspected of commissioning armed robbers to go and rob a wealthy member of his church a certain Doctor Peter Benson.

As the economic hardship in Nigeria bites and intensifies as the global economy collapses amid the coronavirus pandemic, people are resorting to desperate measures to make money. Apparently Pastor Daniel, the general overseer of the Light and Faithful Gospel Mission in Calabar, was arrested after two apprehended robbers Mathew Inyango and Daniel Bassey, named him as their sponsor.

Both men were arrested with guns and knives after they raided Dr Benson’s compound. Following their arrest by the men of the police force yesterday at Odukpani junction, they confessed to their crime, adding that they are ushers in the Light Gospel and Faith Mission and were commissioned by Pastor Daniel.

They told the police that they have information of every rich member that visits the church through the membership cards usually given to new members to fill in. According to the apprehended robbers, after church’s service, they will send the names and the forms filled by the new members to their pastor who would then fix a date for when they will be attacked.

They said that they only rob the rich members and went further to disclose that the membership forms which they give out have columns for occupation, home address, location and the names of family members. Through this membership form, they will use it to trace the location of their victims and rob them.

Under further interrogation, the two robbers disclosed that they have succeeded in robbing about 16 new members so far and were just unlucky to get arrested for the first time. Unfortunately for them, police had information of a vehicle they used and as it approached Calabar, it was stopped at a road block where guns and knives were discovered on them.

As a result, the pastor was arrested yesterday on his way to church, as the police declared that he would all face serious charges for his deeds. Pastor Richard denied the allegation, however but admitted that he knows the robbers only as members of his church.