Imo bank robbery: Pastor who keeps rifles, prays for hoodlums arrested

Pastor Chiedozie Anochima, the founder of Jesus The Rock of Salvation Healing Ministry, Owerri, has been arrested by the Imo police command in connection with bank robbery.


His arrest was in connection to an incident a year ago, where an armed robbery gang invaded a branch of a new generation Bank in Owerri, Imo State, killing two policemen and wounding another.

The arrest of last member of the gang Identified as Chinonso Gift Onwuegbuchulam sometime last week led to the arrest of the Pastor.

According to a police source, Chinonso Onwugbuchlam’s confession helped the police to arrest the pastor.

He told Punch, “Onwugbuchulam named one Pastor Chiedozie Anochima as one of them. The pastor is 36 years old and he is the founder of Jesus The Rock of Salvation Healing Ministry, a church in Urratta, in the Owerri North LGA.”
“Onwugbuchulam confessed that the pastor kept the gang’s rifles after operations and prayed for them for protection.

“Onwuegbuchulam led the F-SARS operatives to his church where we arrested him during a church service. The pastor was surprised to see us. We swooped on him and arrested him immediately. That was last Sunday,”the source said.
The state Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, confirmed the pastor’s arrest, adding that it was a big breakthrough for the command.
He said, “Yes, it is true. We have arrested the pastor and he is with us. You know that criminal investigation is like kerosene; it spreads. The more you investigate a crime, the more it spreads.
“We are working harder to make sure that all those involved in the bank robbery at Zenith Bank in 2017, do not escape justice. We will parade the pastor before newsmen very soon.”