, Bitrus Albarka,,a Jos- based pastor who was alleged to have kidnapped himself, Thursday confessed to officers of the Plateau State Police Command that he committed the crime due to financial challenges.
The Command said it was revealed that the ECWA pastor, Bitrus Albarka, teamed up with his gangs to extort money from people by staging his own kidnap.
Albarka said “I put myself into these activities because of the financial challenges I am facing. When I did the first one, I felt guilty.
“When I went out, the money with me has finished. I was thinking of coming back. I was just confused. That is why I did the second one. I am regretting my action,” he said.
The ECWA pastor is also said to have committed other crimes. He was also alleged of setting ablaze a senior pastor’s car.
He also collected a huge sum of money from a pastor on two different occasions as a ransom for his kidnap.
During his interrogation, he revealed the names of his team and mentioned the following names as his accomplices.
(1) Baruk Mailale,
(2) Nathaniel Bitrus and
(3) Aye (whose surname is yet to be revealed) ‘male of Jalingo, Taraba.
Meanwhile, the police of Nasarawa Gwong Division, Jos-north LGA, said they have been able to arrest two other suspects involved in the staged abduction – Baruk Mailale and Nathaniel Bitrus.
The Command said efforts are being made to arrest the third suspect, Aye.
