Alleged Organ Theft: Benue police rescue pastor, member beaten
By Matthew Atungwu
The Benue State Police Command on Saturday night rescued a pastor and a member of his church who were accused by some youths of harvesting somebody’s organ at Kanshio New Layout, Makurdi.
A pastor of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, also known as Deeper Life Bible Church, named Pastor Terna and a church member named Jude Tyokula were attacked by some young people in Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State, on Saturday night on suspicion of stealing organs.
Tyokula was beaten and stripped naked in a video clip that went viral on social media, and the person questioning him was reportedly a neighbourhood youth leader.
Tyokula in the video claimed that his pastor whom he had known since 2008 engaged him to harvest the organ for the sum of N1m.
He said, “He (Pastor Terna) is my pastor at Deeper Life Bible Church. I have known him since 2008 and have been worshipping in his church since 2012. I am an usher in the church. He asked me to do (harvest organ) with the promise of one million naira.”
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The man who claimed to be a dedicated member of the church said that he worked as a security officer in one of the banks in Makurdi.
Reacting to the trending video, the spokesperson for the state command, Catherine Anene, said someone in the community raised the alarm and some youths picked up the closest person and beat him up.
She said the accused decided to admit and mentioned his pastor as a culprit so as to save his life with the hope that the pastor would save him.
Anene said, “I met these people this (Sunday) morning at B Division but when they narrated the story, it was pathetic.
“Someone will raise an alarm and a group of youths who know nothing about what happened began to torture innocent people. This is inhuman and condemnable.
“According to them, a young man raised an alarm of theft of genital organ. The youths picked up the closest person and beat him up till he decided to admit and mention his pastor as the person who sent him with the hope that pastor would come and save him.
“The youths got the same pastor and beat him up as well. Help came when the police got to know and rescued them. There is no element of truth in this,” she said.
Anene who said since the history of allegations of organ theft that it had never been proved however stated that no arrest had been made.
