4th March, 2015
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Operatives of the Edo State Police Command on Tuesday shot and killed two suspected armed robbers who allegedly stole N954,000 church offering.
The suspected robbers were said to have robbed the offering money from St James’ Cathedral Bishops’ Court, Igarra, Akoko-Edo local government area of Edo state, were reportedly shot dead by the police while trying to escape interrogation.
The third suspect who was the informant that led to the robbery is currently being detained in police custody for further interrogation.
Sources had it that the suspect (name withheld), is a close confidant of the Bishop Court and has been adopted like a son by the Bishop, Rt. Rev. Jolly Oyekpen and his family.
He was alleged to have informed his other two partners in crime about the N954,000 in the Bishop’s Court, which it was gathered, was money from church services yet to be paid to the church’s bank account.
The robbers reportedly stormed the church premises in the early hours of last Thursday and snatched the money and some other valuables, including mobile phones.
Police investigations however led to the arrest of the suspect, who was said to have admitted to have committed the crime by giving information about the money to his dead friends.
It was further learnt that the two dead suspects reportedly met their waterloo in Ikphesi, a neighbouring community to Igarra, the police baited them through the principal suspect to “come for another deal of N2 million.”
On arrival, they were said to have sensed danger and wanted to escape when police opened fire on them. One was said to have died on the spot while the other died later.
The principal suspect confessed that his share of the loot was N300,000 and out of which he spent N20,000 before he was arrested.
PM News gathered that he was planning his marriage which date has already been fixed for later in the year.
A senior police officer at the Igarra police station who confirmed the report, said the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Benin City.