A pastor, Chidiebere Okoroafor, 32, has been arrested by the Rivers State Police Command for the murder of three persons, including his pregnant lover and a nine-month-old baby, in an attempt to conceal his affair with the church member.
An unborn child also died in the process.
Okoroafor of Oyigbo, Port Harcourt-based Altar of Solution Church reportedly committed the offence on December 11, 2017.
According to The Punch, the victims are Concilia Ezeawa and Uluoma Onweagba, who was carrying a five – month- old pregnancy belonging to the pastor, before her death. Christabel Joseph, a nine-month-old baby strapped to Onweagba’s back, also died in the process.
Although Christabel was strapped to Onweagba’s back, she was said to be Ezeawa’s baby.
While Okoroafor allegedly strangled Ezeawa in an uncompleted building, the pregnant Onweagba was killed in a bush, the police said.
The pastor, a native of Arochukwu in Abia State, allegedly committed the murders to hide his amorous relationship with Onweagba and her pregnancy.
The Deputy State Commissioner of Police, in charge of Administration, Cyril Okoro , was quoted by The Punch as saying, “ The case started unfolding on December 11 , 2017 . At about 11am , the whereabouts of Concilia Ezeawa, Christabel Joseph and Uluoma Onweagba (all female ) became unknown to their families.
“ This resulted in the lodging of a formal complaint on their disappearance at the Afam Divisional Headquarters . After a preliminary investigation by the police , coupled with a diligent search by members of the community, the decomposing corpse of Uluoma Onweagba and Christabel Joseph (baby ) were discovered in a bush along the Afam -Igberu Road on December 13 , 2017 .
“ Their corpses were immediately evacuated and deposited at the mortuary pending further investigation . On December 18, 2017 , the decomposing corpse of the real mother of the baby, Concilia Ezeawa, was recovered in an uncompleted building in Izuoma community in Oyigbo Local Government Area . The corpse, which was at an advanced stage of decomposition , was evacuated and deposited at the mortuary pending further police investigation .
“ The pastor, who was said to have been involved in an amorous relationship with one of the deceased , Onweagba , was invited , interviewed and interrogated about the murders of the victims .
“He was subsequently detained as his explanations were not convincing , particularly compared to the information at the disposal of investigators that the deceased persons had on December 11, 2017 , informed close neighbours that they were going to see the pastor over a pregnancy issue involving Onweagba . ”
The pastor later confessed to the crime after being presented with overwhelming evidence of his involvement in the acts, the police said.
Okoroafor said the murders were “not intentional” and pleaded for forgiveness from the families of the victims.