Facts have emerged as to why a Nigerian televangelist, Apostle John Okoriko may have been abducted by gunmen at Ibekwe Akpanya in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State....CONTINUE READING
The 74-year-old founder of Solid Rock Kingdom Church was abducted by gunmen on Tuesday at his church in his village and whisked away.
Okoriko was whisked away at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the headquarters of the church, called “National Capitol.”
The gunmen have established contact and are demanding N100 million ransom.
However, an Akwa Ibom man, Michael Itok, who claimed to be a media personnel and private investigator alleged that over the years, the cleric had indulged in the habit of converting people’s land in Mkpat Enin to his personal land in the name of building a church for God.
He alleged that one of the recent lands he converted to his personal property was the land bounded between Uruk Anam where the governor’s wife came from and Mkpat Enin.
“Her Excellency over the years has received lots of reports of how Okoriko has converted people’s private property and even government properties to his personal property, which has always caused a huge clash between Mkpat Enin and Uruk Anam.
“Early this year, his close friend who happens to be one of the village heads in Mkpat Enin by name Friday Titus, popularly known as Ubom Obu was assassinated right in his house by some unknown gunmen, and a letter was placed in his compound demanding for his children to pay the sum of 700 thousand naira before they would be allowed to bury their father, which the family up till now has not been able to put their father t rest due to the threat.
“I may not know what Okoriko has done this time around or whether his kidnap is due to the lingering feud between him, his community people and Uruk Anam people, but whatsoever the case may be, I believe he has learnt his lessons and will never convert people’s properties to his anymore,” he stated.
Reacting to Itok’s post, Thomas Thomas, also from Akwa Ibom said Itok had come out to give what appears to be a clue to the kidnap of the Pastor and the reason behind it.
Meanwhile, the National Secretary of the Church, Bishop Linus Ukoenang, said on Wednesday that the kidnappers had established contact and were demanding a N100 million ransom to set the aged cleric free.
