Eight suspects have been arrested in connection with the killings of 19 worshippers at Deeper Life Bible Church,

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Katsina, who disclosed this to newsmen in Lokoja on Tuesday, however, said that two of the suspects had died in custody.

He said that police arrested two of the suspects in a bus on Murtala Mohammad Bridge, Jamata, Lokoja, on their way to the state from one of the neighbouring states.

Katsina said that the arrested persons were suspected to be among the attackers of the church, who were re-grouping after the attack.


The police commissioner also said that the attackers hatched their plot to attack the church and Okene Local Government Secretariat at their hideout in the Eyika Adagu area of the local government.
``Three persons each were detailed to attack the church and the soldier respectively; the pastor was the target of the attack but because of confusion as they entered the church, they were shooting sporadically.''
He said that the gang also confessed that they had planned to launch another attack on Aug. 19, to disrupt the services and the Eid-el-Fitri celebration before the arrest of its leader.
The police in the state announced on Aug. 13 that 16 suspects had been arrested in connection with the killings.

According to him, items recovered from the factories included seven AK 47 rifles, 1,000 live ammunition, 29 loaded magazines, six locally made pistols, gas cylinders, two rocket launchers and other bomb making components.
He said that after the attack on the soldiers at Okene Local Government Secretariat on Aug. 7, the police got the information that the suspects were at a training camp at Etar Hill, planning another attack.
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