Apostle Suleman meets IGP after arrest of suspected assailant

A Nigerian televangelist, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has met with the acting Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, days after the police arrested a suspect over a deadly attack on his convoy.

Mr Suleman, the founder of Omega Fire Ministry, was attacked in October 2022 in Edo State, South-south Nigeria.

Yusuf Isa, a 32-year-old plumber from Okene in Kogi State, was paraded at the Force Headquarters in Abuja last week as a member of the eight-man gang that attacked the cleric.

In a video posted on Twitter, Mr Isah confessed to the crime, saying they were paid N50 million to kill Mr Suleman.

In his first meeting with the Nigerian Police chief after the arrest, Mr Suleman, in a Twitter post, said he “will say something when this whole mess is over.”

The cleric posted a photo of himself with Mr Egbetokun on the microblogging platform.

It is unclear when the meeting took place, however.

Mr Suleman wrote on Twitter, “For those they killed, I vowed not to rest until all the killers get served the meal they ordered.

“I have kept that promise and gone after them working with the police. Those waiting for me to brief them should wait till everything is rounded up,” he said.

The suspect had declined knowledge of who sponsored the attack but said his colleagues told him they were paid to kill the cleric.

The cleric in the post said naming those behind his attack was the duty of the authorities, apparently referring to the police.

“For those who say I should tell them who is responsible since I claim to know, I ask you if I tell you what can you do? That information belongs to the authorities, and they are on it,” he said.

The attack

PREMIUM TIMES in October 2022 reported how gunmen attacked the cleric’s convoy, killing seven people, including three police officers.

The attack occurred around the Auchi area of Edo State while the cleric was heading to an unidentified location, hours after returning from a trip to the East African country, Tanzania.

Mr Suleman had described the attack as an “assassination attempt.”

The arrested suspect, Mr Isah, said a gang member who was a driver died during the incident and that it has been “hell” for them after the attack. He also said only four of the gang members were remaining.

Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the suspect was arrested in Ondo State.

He said the gang was responsible for at least four kidnapping operations within Edo State and its environs before the police busted them.

Gunmen in Edo State had, between 2022 and 2023, abducted five Catholic priests, killing two of them, this newspaper reported.