Abel Eku, a Benin based pastor, has been arrested for attempting to bomb the headquarters of his church, the Christ Chosen Church of God, The Nation is reporting
Pastor Abel who claimed to have served the church for 25 years, planted explosives inside the auditorium of the church headquarters on January 22, the day the church was to hold an international conference.
The explosives were detected and policemen were invited, who detonated the explosives. Men of the Edo State Police Command arrested Pastor Abel on March 7 and he confessed to have manufactured the explosives and planted them himself.
Speaking to newsmen during a parade at police headquarters, Pastor Abel said he planted the bomb because he was bitter about his dismissal from the church over marital issues.
Pastor Abel said he did it out of annoyance but later regretted his action which made him to call the church officials about the location of the bomb. He said the bomb was not meant to kill but to scare his church members and elders.
According to him, “I am 57 years old. I had marital issues with my wife. We came to the church to resolve it and it was not resolved. It led to my dismissal. I was very bitter about the dismissal. I don’t have the intention of killing people. My action is very bad.”
On how he was made a pastor in the church, Pastor Abel said his parents offered him to the church as a first fruit because of inability to have children. “I was given to the church as a first issue. .
My parents were married for many years without any issue, so they vowed at the alter that any first child God gave to them would be given to the church. That was how they gave me to the church.”