The remaining four pastors of the Redeemed Christian Church of God who were kidnapped Friday along J3 Area of Ogbere on their way to Lagos from the Eastern part of the country, have been rescued by the Ogun State Police Command, Channels TV is reporting.
Ibelegbo Chidimma, the female member of the five victims, had been rescued earlier Saturday by the Police, with the security agents vowing to sustain efforts to free the remaining four.
Earlier Saturday, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu, had ordered massive manhunt for the killers of Rev. Father Paul Offu, a Catholic Priest in charge of St. James the Greater Parish Catholic Church Ugbawka in Enugu state. He also informed the public that efforts had been stepped in Ogun State to effect the rescue of the five abducted RCCG ministers.
A statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, noted that crack detectives from the IGP-Intelligence Response Unit (IRT), the Forensic and Homicide sections of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) had been deployed to Enugu State to complement the State Command in their investigations into the unfortunate incident.
In a separate statement, the Police also debunked reports they were demanding money from the public to use the emergency app, stressing that there were no plans whatsoever to charge Nigerians on Services bordering on Emergency Crime Reportage through the use of Police-VGS Mobile-App.
“In addition, the AIG in charge of Zone 9 Headquarters has been directed to mobilize more units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel to black spots in Enugu State,” the statement said.
Mba had said in his statement that Tactical and Operational assets of the Force had been deployed in the state, with the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, taking the lead role in the search and rescue operations for the five kidnap victims.
The IGP, while condemning the killing of the Catholic priest and the abduction of the clergymen, called for calm and assured that the perpetrators will not go unpunished. He, therefore, enjoined the public to avail the Police with credible information that will assist in apprehending the criminals, the statement added.
On the Police-VGS Mobile-App. Mba, said, “the attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a publication on Page 39 of the PUNCH Newspaper, 2nd August, 2019 captioned ‘Nigeria Police Demand N12,000 to use Emergency App.”
“The Force wishes to state that there are no plans whatsoever to charge Nigerians for services bordering on Emergency Crime Reportage through the use of Police-VGS Mobile-App. The mobile app, which is comparable to the Police 911 emergency toll-free line obtainable in other climes, is still undergoing internal-test and the Force is working out modalities on how Nigerians can benefit from its use free of charge,” he said.
He said the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had directed the Management of Vigiscope Nigeria Limited to expunge the payment option on the app and to strictly adhere to the original terms of reference. He added that the IGP had also ordered a comprehensive investigation and forensic auditing of all accounts as they concern the alleged payment of subscription fee by some Nigerians.
“The Force notes that it will no doubt continue to partner with relevant private entities in evolving technologically driven solutions towards smartly combatting crimes and addressing security challenges within the country. However, such partnerships must be done taking into cognizance statutes guiding the Force, the overriding interest of the public and International Best Practices,” the statement said.
