THE Edo State Police Command on Tuesday arrested a 57-year-old pastor, Abel Eku, for allegedly attempting to blow up the headquarters of the Christ Chosen Church of God in Benin with explosive devices.

Eku was said to have planted the explosives inside the church auditorium on January 22, 2017, prior to the commencement of its international conference, but his plot was reportedly foiled when the objects were detected, leading to his arrest by some policemen.

The suspect, who was paraded on Tuesday, blamed the act on what he described as bitterness over his dismissal from the church due to marital issues after 25 years of service.

Pastor Abel said he did it out of annoyance but later regretted his action, which made him to call the church officials about the location of the bomb, stating that the explosive was not meant to kill anyone but to cause a scare among church members and elders.

“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.

“I had marital issues with my wife. We came to the church to resolve it and it was not resolved. It led to my dismissal. I was very bitter about the dismissal. I do not have the intention of killing people.” – New Mail

— Mar 22, 2017 @ 5:23 GMT

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