A 57-year-old pastor, Abel Eku, has been arrested by the Edo State Police Command on for allegedly attempting to blow up a church in Benin, the state capital after placing a homemade explosive in the auditorium.
Punch reports that Pastor Eku was arrested after the explosive device was discovered by the police at the headquarters of the Christ Chosen Church of God while the church was preparing to hold its international conference and world convention on January 22, 2017.
Pastor Eku who was paraded by the police alongside other suspects at the State Command Headquarters, confessed that he planted the bomb because he was angry that the church sacked him over marital issues he had with his wife.
The suspect said it was the way and manner he was dismissed from the church that made him decide to bomb it but later regretted his action and he was the one who called the church officials to inform them of the bomb and the location.
Pastor Eku said he had served the church for 25 years after his parents sowed him as a seed and for them to just dismiss him like that was hard to bear and hence he decided to take the action.
Hear him: “I am 57 years old. I had marital issues with my wife and we came to the church to resolve it but it was not resolved. It led to my dismissal.
I was very bitter about the dismissal. I didn’t have the intention of killing people. My action is very bad.
I have served in the church for 25 years. My parents offered me to the church as a first fruit because of their inability to have children. I was given to the church as a first issue.
My parents were married for many years without any issue, so they vowed at the altar that any first child God gave to them would be given to the church.
That was how they gave me to the church. It was out of annoyance that I planted the bomb. I was dismissed from the church after serving for 25 years. After planting the bomb, I was not happy with myself.
I had a change of heart and called the people to tell them about it. It was to scare people. I had to call people to check and detonate it."
According to the police, Pastor Eku confessed that he made the explosive using some local raw materials and also planted it in the church himself.
