The Rivers State Police Command paraded two individuals who were apprehended by youths from the Rumunduru community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, suspected of being fake pastors.
The suspects, Umoren Bassey and Elijah Aniete, were handed over to the police on January 20, 2005, after being caught by Henry Worlu, the Youth President of Rumunduru. According to the Rivers State Police spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe Koko, the youths claimed to have caught the men engaging in suspicious activities and reported them to the authorities.
SP Koko explained that the police recovered various items from the suspects, including a cartridge, a sword, a fake naval passport, numerous photographs of people, a child’s shoe, a police lanyard, several crosses, and various spiritual materials. However, she clarified that no live python or human skulls were found, as some of the initial rumors suggested.
During an interview, one of the suspects, Umoren Bassey, who claimed to be the head of the Church of God Apostolic Deliverance in Eneka, Rumunduru, defended his practices. “I use spiritual materials the way God directed me,” he explained. “I can heal people with water and oil. I’ve been here for a long time. It’s a land dispute, and I still have three weeks before a court judgment that asked me to leave. The community planted some of the materials they claimed to have found in my church. They even searched my house without a warrant.”
Bassey, who said he had been helping people in the community for 17 years, further claimed that some of the photographs found in his possession were of his own family and church members. “I use small caskets and miracle oil to pray for mentally ill people,” he added. “They usually calm down within three months. I’ve been using these methods to help the people here.”
Elijah Aniete, the second suspect, explained that he had been attending a meeting at Bassey’s church when members of the community, along with the OSPAC (Oil Palm Security and Anti-Cultism) unit, arrived and arrested them.
In an interview, Henry Worlu, the Youth President of Rumunduru, stated that he had been informed by the OSPAC commander about Bassey allegedly performing sacrifices on the road. “In the morning, we went to his church. He denied any wrongdoing and refused to let us in.
We eventually forced our way into his chambers and found the items,” Worlu recalled. “However, we did not find a python or human remains. No one assaulted him. We simply handed him over to the police.”
The OSPAC commander, who witnessed the events, also confirmed that the situation was handled peacefully, with the suspects being transferred to the police without any violence.
