The General Overseer and founder of the Royal God’s Commandment Ministry, Rev. Tony Obo, has been arrested for allegedly using a one-year-old girl, identified as Success Ime, for ritual.
The freshly harvested heart of the girl was discovered at the church, 3, Okon Edak Street, off Atamunu, in Calabar South local government area of Cross River State, leading to the arrest of the reverend alongside six of his members on Thursday, August 24.
It was gathered that other fetish items, including goat heads, dead chicken, male and female effigies, wooden boat, crafted camel among others, were also uncovered by men of Uwanse Police Division.
Speaking to journalists, the grandmother of the victim, Mrs Arit Ime, said that about 3a.m. yesterday, they heard a banging on their door, which was followed by the entry of two masked men into their bed room at 8, Okon Edak Street.
Narrating the incident she said:
“We were sleeping and at about 3a.m. when two men, who were fully masked, entered and started ransacking the house. They told us to lie face down or we will be shot.“Initially, we thought they were robbers not knowing that they came for my little girl, Success, who was just one year and six months old.“They took off with her, after which we raised the alarm. In the process, some of our neighbours made phone calls to the Police and one of them was apprehended.“But as we speak, little Success is nowhere to be found. Part of the items we were told that was discovered included a fresh heart of a little child and we have no doubt that it is hers.”
An eyewitnesses who spoke to Daily Post correspondent who visited the church on Friday revealed that Rev. Tony Obo was exposed after some male members of his church alleged to be his agents, were recognized by the villagers as the people who kidnapped one-year-old Success.
“When they were accosted, they took the vigilante members to the church and by the time they got there, the baby was murdered and the parts used for rituals,” the eyewitness who declined giving his name said.
He alleged that Rev Obo queried those who took the vigilante members to him and said, “Why do you bring these people here, have I not settled and paid you off?”
Another eyewitness who claimed to have known the Pastor very well said, “Rev Tony Obo was arrested alongside some of his agents and members in the Church premises, with items like mystical sticks, pants and dresses, human skulls among others, with blood stains on most of the items.”
On getting to the church on Friday, a large crowd of people were seen while the church had been demolished and some of the property set on fire.
Consequently, some brave and energetic males in the area were equally seen excavating the ground and bringing out decomposed human parts.
At the time the Daily Post correspondent left the scene of the incident, over hundred different kinds of human pictures mostly women, personal property including clothes and decomposed human parts were recovered.
Large number of people were also seen thronging the area to watch the excavated human parts.
When contacted the Police spokesman, Irene Ugbo, told newsmen that the matter was now a murder case and that seven persons, including the General Overseer of the church had been arrested and they are with the Police and interrogation was in progress.
She said the suspects will soon be charged to court after investigations.
Ugbo said: “We have arrested seven people, including one Reverend. We discovered a shrine in the church as well as other fetish items, including a fresh human heart, believed to be that of a child.”
She added that investigation was ongoing to arrest other suspects who were still at large.
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