I was confused, says Jos Pastor arrested for staging his kidnap

A Jos-based pastor, Bitrus Albarka, who was alleged to have kidnapped himself, told police officers that he committed that crime due to financial challenges.

According to the Plateau State Police Command, it was revealed that the ECWA pastor, Bitrus Albarka, teamed up with his gangs to extort money from people by staging his own kidnap.

Bitrus Albarka revealed on Thursday that he committed the crimes due to financial challenges.

“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.

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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 made confessed 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.

According to the police of Nasarawa Gwong Division, Jos-north LGA, they’ve been able to arrest two other suspects involved in the staged abduction – Baruk Mailale and Nathaniel Bitrus.

Other efforts are been made to arrest the third suspect, Aye.