The Edo State Police Command, Thursday, paraded 32 suspected criminals involved in robbery, kidnapping, cultism, including one Eze Fidelis, a pastor with a Pentecostal church in Abudu, Orhiomnwon Local Government Council, who defiled two underage girls.
Among the suspects were also three rapists and four persons including a woman involved in robbing unsuspecting passengers using commercial vehicles (popularly known as one chance).
The Edo State Police Commissioner, Mr Funso Adebanjo, who paraded them, yesterday, also displayed cache of arms recovered from the suspects.
CP Adebanjo who said the command had apprehended over 90 suspected robbers and kidnappers in the past one month, lamented rising cases of defilement of minors in the state. He warned residents to be wary of the latest trends whereby people use taxis to rob unsuspecting passengers.
According to him, "today we have 32 suspects that we are parading and they were involved in different crimes, ranging from robbery, kidnapping to cultism and people who are involved in defilement of the girl child. This defilement thing in the state now is disturbing. We will not allow them to go scot-free. And that is why we continue to appeal to members of the public to always give us useful information because we cannot do it alone.
"But let me also alert members of the public. There is an emerging crime since the ban on Okada was effected. It is called one chance. What they do is that they always have a woman among them so that will make people not to suspect them. There is always somebody that claims to be a pastor with them, they will deceive you to say you have a particular problem and they will rob you of everything.
"One of their victims, a lady, had to go to a bank to withdraw N150,000.
""\We are going to work with Road Safety and the Board of Internal Revenue so that all vehicles on the road must be registered. People should shine their eyes very well, they are using some vehicles pretending to be taxi drivers."
Pastor Fidelis Eze who confessed that he actually defiled one Joy and Anthonia both of them 11 years old, said he was possessed by evil spirit to commit the act.
He said: "I am really ashamed of myself particularly as a pastor. I have been a pastor at Deeper Life for over six years but I was tempted to defile these girls. They are always visiting me, so this particularly day I defiled both of them."
-naij.com