Pastor Fakes Own Kidnap Twice, Gets Ransom From Congregation

A Plateau state pastor has been arrested for faking his kidnap twice after which he received ransom from members of his church, OduNews reports.

The Plateau State Police have apprehended a pastor who orchestrated his own kidnappings multiple times and extorted ransom money from his congregation. The arrest took place in November of 2022.

DSP Alfred Alabo, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, made this revelation in a statement on Wednesday in Jos.
According to Alabo, the pastor, identified as Albarka Sukuya of Jenta Apata, Jos, staged his kidnappings on several occasions with the help of his accomplices and collected ransom money from his congregation.

The most recent kidnappings, which occurred on November 14 and 15 of 2022, where a total of N400,000 and N200,000 were paid respectively as ransom, triggered suspicion among his congregation.

Upon receiving credible intelligence, the pastor was invited to the Nasarawa Gwong Police Station where an investigation was immediately initiated.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the pastor had been conspiring with his gang to fraudulently collect ransom money by staging his own kidnappings. He has since confessed to committing these crimes.

The suspect revealed the identity of three other members of his gang, two of whom were arrested, while one remains at large.
The pastor also disclosed that on January 1, he had set fire to vehicles and a bicycle parked at the ECWA Bishara 3, Jenta Apata premises belonging to his colleagues.

The police spokesperson has urged members of the public to be vigilant and promptly report any suspicious happenings to the relevant security agencies.