The Rumuolumeni Police Divisional Headquarters in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, on Saturday, said it arrested a Catholic priest and two others over alleged child theft.
The priest, Rev. Fr. Collins Menegbo, was alleged to have conspired with one Helen Bassey and another suspect simply identified as Gift, to steal two children within Ngbakatali in Rumuolumeni community.
It was learnt that the clergy arrived the shop of the victims’ mother pretending to be buying something and later left with the children, who are aged one and three, to the other suspects’ apartment in the neighbourhood, to discuss with them.
It was further gathered that the priest carried the two children inside his tinted glass black Peugeot car ready to drive out before the mother of the children raised the alarm.
It was also gathered that the priest was first apprehended by residents and passers-by when the incident happened on Saturday.
A source in the area said the clergyman after his arrest was taken to the palace of the paramount ruler as custom demands and was later taken to police station for proper investigation.
Father of the two children, Stanley Obisike, from Ibaa community in Emohua Local Government Area of the state, told journalists that the clergyman had visited his shop when his wife was with the children.
Narrating the ordeal, Obisike reiterated that “the suspect pretended to have come to buy something and later left with the children, who are between the years of one and three, to the other suspects’ apartment in the neighbourhood, to discuss with them.”
He alleged that there were plots by some police officers handling the matter to cover up the crime and grant the prime suspect bail without proper investigation.
He, therefore, called on the Commissioner of Police, CP Zaki Ahmed, to intervene for justice to prevail.
When contacted, the state’s police boss, Ahmed, disclosed that he had already ordered that the bail process be cancelled and the suspects transferred to the Anti-Kidnap Unit (AKU) for further investigation.
