A Jos-based pastor, Albarka Bitrus, has been arrested by operatives of the Plateau State Police Command for stagging his own kidnap and demanding ransom from members of his congregation.
The command’s spokesman, Alabo Alfred, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday said that the clergyman was arrested alongside his collaborators following intelligence reports after church members paid N600,000 ransom to secure the cleric’s release.
The statement read, “The Plateau State Police Command has again uncovered the nefarious act of one pastor Albarka Bitrus Sukuya ‘m’ of Jenta Apata, Jos who on several occasions staged his kidnap with his cohorts and receive ransom from sympathizing members of his congregation.
“Sequel to his spurious kidnaps of 14/11/2022 and 30/11/2022 where the sum of Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N400,000) and Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000) were respectively paid by his sympathizers as ransom for his release, the incidents triggered suspicion.
A Jos-based pastor, Albarka Bitrus, has been arrested by operatives of the Plateau State Police Command for stagging his own kidnap and demanding ransom from members of his congregation.
The command’s spokesman, Alabo Alfred, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday said that the clergyman was arrested alongside his collaborators following intelligence reports after church members paid N600,000 ransom to secure the cleric’s release.
The statement read, “The Plateau State Police Command has again uncovered the nefarious act of one pastor Albarka Bitrus Sukuya ‘m’ of Jenta Apata, Jos who on several occasions staged his kidnap with his cohorts and receive ransom from sympathizing members of his congregation.
“Sequel to his spurious kidnaps of 14/11/2022 and 30/11/2022 where the sum of Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N400,000) and Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000) were respectively paid by his sympathizers as ransom for his release, the incidents triggered suspicion.
“However, police operatives of Nassarawa Gwong Division, Jos-north LGA arrested two (2) of the suspects namely, Baruk Mailale and Nathaniel Bitrus while effort is been intensified to arrest Aye, the third suspect”
SOURCE: PUNCH