3rd April, 2013
Pastor John Ibikunle of the Way of Joy Ministry, Lagos, who was arrested by the police in connection with the robbery at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, has confessed that he was paid N500,000 by the robbers to administer oath on them.
Ibikunle was paraded with six other suspects and lots of ammunition on Tuesday in Lagos, southwest Nigeria over the 13 March, 2013 robbery attack on the MMIA, which led to the killing of two policemen.
Ibikunle told P.M.NEWS that he administered oath on the robbers and was paid N500, 000, saying that he was not at the airport when the robbery incident took place.
The father of four said he made a mistake and it was the handiwork of the devil for him to have joined the gang of robbers.
“I made a mistake to have joined them. I was paid N500,000. I don’t know how much was the overall money stolen at the airport. It is only the leader of the gang who is at large that knows.
“I know it is a sin to be involved in such a thing. I have confessed my sins to God. I regret this action. I am not the one that did the charm for them; I just administered oath on them,” he confessed.
The state Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, had said it was Ibikunle, the supposed pastor who prepared the charm for the robbers so that they would not be caught in the act of robbery.
The police recovered from the suspects five AK 47 rifles, four dynamites, 64 AK 47 magazines, all fully loaded with 30 rounds totaling 1,920 live ammunition, Toyota Siena Space Bus, with registration number BDG 918 AG, two locally made pistols, two masks and several charms.
Other suspects paraded were Atoba Adeniyi, Ibrahim Abdullahi, Kazeem Aderibigbe, Saheed Adekunle, Christian Joshua and Saheed Okunola.
Manko said all the suspects confessed to have carried out the robbery attack on the MMIA last month and series of other robbery incidents across the country, saying that the police would go after others still at large.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga