Wife Hides Anglican Church Pastor Inside Sack To Evade Arrest

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

An Anglican Church Pastor, Rev. Clement Eze Obi, has been arrested while hiding inside a big sack in his wardrobe, for his alleged involvement in the escape of a suspected criminal from the court in Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at Ijaye Oba Street by MTN bus stop Ijedodo area of Lagos where he resided with his family.

A man, one Mr. Madubuko Chukwuma, was said to have stolen a tricycle belonging to one Prince Orji. He was eventually caught and charged before the court for the alleged offence. He was granted bail and remanded in prison custody. The cleric, Rev. Obi, who claimed to be the Anglican Church’s resident pastor at Ijedodo Parish, reportedly went to the Ejigbo Magistrates court and facilitated the release of Mr. Madubuko Chukwuma and stood as surety for him for the perfection of his bail.

A trial date was fixed but Mr. Chukwuma having realised that the evidence against him will lead to his conviction and imprisonment, escaped and did not come to court to face trial.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mr. T.O. Shomade, then issued a bench warrant against Mr. Chukwuma and his surety ordering the prosecutor, Supol Kenneth Asibor, to arrest the surety Rev. Obi.

It was gathered that for several months the prosecutor had tried in vain to arrest the Anglican Church pastor, Rev. Obi. Whenever he visited their house, his wife will tell him that he was not around and had travelled out of the state.
However, the trick by his wife was exposed when the prosecutor led a team of police officers to their three bedroom apartment and insisted that they would search the house to check if Rev. Obi was around or not. Before the wife would open the entrance to the apartment, she quickly hid her husband inside a big sack and dropped in their wardrobe. When the police team searched the other rooms and did not find Rev. Obi, they asked her to open the wardrobe. She opened the wardrobe only for the detectives to discover that Rev. Obi was inside a big sack covered with clothes. He was promptly arrested and detained at the police station.

Rev. Obi was later charged before the Ejigbo Magistrates court for conduct likely to cause breach of public peace by perverting the course of justice and aiding Chukwuma’s escape.
He pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, Supol Asibor, objected to his being granted bail and informed the court that it took him several months to arrest Rev. Obi. He explained that before they arrested him, they broke the door, conducted a search until they discovered a sack where his wife hid him inside their wardrobe.
However, the Presiding Magistrate, Mr. L.K.J. Layeni, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition.
The matter was adjourned till 3rd October, 2018.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that Rev. Obi had been known to be a ‘professional surety’ who went to courts to stand as surety for suspected criminals and aid their escape for a fee.