been arrested in connection with the killings of 19 worshippers at
Deeper Life Bible Church, Okene, on Aug. 6.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Katsina, who disclosed
this to newsmen in Lokoja on Tuesday, however, said that two of the
suspects had died in custody.
He said that police arrested two of the suspects in a bus on Murtala
Mohammad Bridge, Jamata, Lokoja, on their way to the state from one of
the neighbouring states.
Katsina said that the arrested persons were suspected to be among the
attackers of the church, who were re-grouping after the attack.
The police commissioner also said that the attackers hatched their
plot to attack the church and Okene Local Government Secretariat at
their hideout in the Eyika Adagu area of the local government.
"Three persons each were detailed to attack the church and the soldier
respectively; the pastor was the target of the attack but because of
confusion as they entered the church, they were shooting
sporadically.''
He said that the gang also confessed that they had planned to launch
another attack on Aug. 19, to disrupt the services and the
Eid-el-Fitri celebration before the arrest of its leader.
The police in the state announced on Aug. 13 that 16 suspects had been
arrested in connection with the killings.
The commissioner also said that two bomb-manufacturing factories were
discovered on Tuesday in Abu Limit Estate and Eyika Adagu in Okene and
Okehi Local Government Areas respectively.
Conducting journalists round the factories, Katsina said they were
discovered following information provided by the arrested leader of
the 21-man gangwho masterminded the church attack.
According to him, items recovered from the factories included seven AK
47 rifles, 1,000 live ammunition, 29 loaded magazines, six locally
made pistols, gas cylinders, two rocket launchers and other bomb
making components.
He said that after the attack on the soldiers at Okene Local
Government Secretariat on Aug. 7, the police got the information that
the suspects were at a training camp at Etar Hill, planning another
attack.
He further said that the police mobilised officers to the hill and
engaged them in gun battle, adding that some of the gunmen were
injured in the operation while others escaped to a farm settlement.
Katsina said that the suspected gang leader was arrested behind banana
trees at a farm settlement in Ulowo, Ondo State, after an exchange of
gun shots in which he sustained serious injuries. (NAN)
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