Female 'Prayer Warrior' Says Her Pastor Offered Her N2.5m To Kidnap Her Neighbor's Son

                                                       Suspect, Chukwu and pastor Ernest

The female kidnapper, Mrs. Rosemary Chukwu, a mother of four who allegedly confessed that her pastor, Ernest Nwankwo of the Holy Family Happy Family Ministry (aka House of Mercy) instructed her to kidnap a seven-year-old boy in Majidun area of Ikorodu, Lagos as revealed more shocking details.
It was reported on June 25 that Rosemary Chukwu who was said to have been a choir mistress at the church was arrested after she was caught with her missing neighbour’s son she had tied and strangled in a box.

Apparently the woman kidnapped the boy who had gone to fetch water from a well located within their compound early in the morning.

Rosemary who was described as a ‘prayer warrior’ by her neighbours and had become sort of a nuisance to them with her praying habit claimed in her statement given to the police after her arrest said that Pastor Ernest Nwankwo offered to pay her N2.5m if he could deliver the child, Punch correspondent learnt from a police source.

Suspect with kidnapped victim, seven-year-old Emmanuel Emeka

According to Chukwu’s statement, the pastor had appeared to her many times in her dream and had even made love to her in dreams before she decided to do his bidding.

Chukwu, who was nearly lynched by residents of the area before police intervention last week Wednesday, has now told the police that the genesis of the kidnapping plan was when she approached the pastor for a loan.

A source told Punch that: “The woman said that when she told the pastor that she needed some money, the pastor told her that he could only lend her the money if she could bring a child in return.

“She told us that the pastor promised to give her N2.5m in return if she could get a child by any means and deliver the child.”

It was reported on July 1 that the 50-year-old Pastor Nwankwo, who is from Nsugbe in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State, was arrested at Ebute Metta, Lagos, after he escaped following the discovery of the kidnapped boy and a building were about eight kidnapped victims were rescued.

Meanwhile the pastor who is being detained at the Department of Criminal Investigation, Panti, Lagos, has denied Chukwu’s allegations as he reportedly claimed he ‘treats only mad men’.

The father of the kidnapped boy, Kelvin Emeka who, however, said his son has been having panic attacks since he was discharged from hospital after the Chukwu who he described as a reserved praying woman, who kept mostly to herself kidnapped him.

He said: “We only know each other as co-tenants and within the two years that we lived in the same compound, nobody saw or knew her husband.

“When we were at the police station, she was asked of the phone number of her husband, she did not know it. She was also asked to provide the address of his workplace, she could not provide that as well.

“All I can say is that God loves my family. That was why she did not succeed in taking my child away to the ritual killers who sent her.

“Emmanuel still feels pain on his neck where the woman tried to strangle him before she put him in the luggage but the hospital did a great job on him. He is still undergoing treatment but he has been discharged.”

“Nobody can touch him anymore, not even my siblings. The only people whom he allows to touch him now are his mother and I. He sees every other person suspiciously and gets scared when they want to touch him. But I know he would be okay. God has delivered him,” Emeka said.

Emeka also that he is concerned about the safety of his family as he said the day Chukwu was caught by residents of their neighbourhood, a green sports utility vehicle picked up the suspect’s four children and they have not been seen since then.

He said: “I don’t know what the members of that pastor’s church are planning. I don’t know the kind of arrangement he (Nwankwo) must have made before he was arrested. The police should ensure nobody harms my family because it is no longer my family that has a case with him. It is a criminal case being prosecuted by the police, not me,” he said.

Meanwhile Lagos state PPRO, Ngozi Braide, said investigation was still ongoing on in the case saying:

“We are doing all we can to follow every lead. Every truth would come to light on this issue. But we cannot reveal too much information that could jeopardise our investigation at this moment”.