Pastor Ighodalo and wife: saved by their dog.

It could just have been the God they worship. Or maybe destiny caused the dog to die. Whichever case, popular Nigerian pastor, Itua Ighodalo, and his wife, Ibidunni, are a happy couple today for being alive after an attempt by two of his domestic staff to poison the pastor and kidnap his wife for an N80 million ransom.

The death of the couple’s dog gave the suspects out.

Abdulkareem Mohammed, 24, the alleged mastermind of the plot, employed by the couple as a dog handler and Paul Eke, 29, a security guard at Osborne Foreshore Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria where the Pastor Ighodalo and wife reside, allegedly contacted Makinde Ewuosi, 36, a witchdoctor, who resides at 21, Joseph Street, Lagos Island and has his shrine at 9, Alofun Street, Lagos Island for a concoction to poison their boss to so as to make it easy to abduct his wife.

Police investigation revealed that when the couple’s pet dog named Simba suddenly died at their residence, the couple who suspected foul play immediately contacted the dog’s doctor to conduct an examination on it. The result revealed that the dog was poisoned.

The couple reported the incident to the police and the dog handler was arrested and taken in for interrogation.

Mohammed, an indigene of Borno State, northeastern Nigeria reportedly confessed that he mixed poisonous substances given to him by the herbalist with food for the dog to eat and that this resulted in its death.

“The security man in our estate, Eze, brought the information that if we poison my boss to death, kidnap his wife and demand for N80 million ransom we would be rich overnight. And to actualise our mission, I went to consult a native doctor, Ewuosi for help.

“And after explaining my mission to the native doctor, he gave me poisonous black powder, black soap and sponge with a directive that I must use the powder to poison my master’s dog to know the effectiveness of the poison and if it vomits and dies, I should use it to poison anybody.

“After the dog died, we were still planning how to use the poison on my boss and kidnap his wife for ransom before I was arrested. But I don’t know how the devil used me to plan such evil against my employers because they were taking good care of me. I pray to God to forgive me,” Mohammed reportedly confessed.

He thereafter led the police to arrest the security guard and the herbalist who allegedly confessed that he prepared some concoctions for the dog handler but not to kill anybody.

The suspects who have been charged before a Tinubu Magistrates’ court on a two-count charge of attempted murder of Pastor Itua Ighodalo and his wife, Ibidunni, which the police prosecutor, Supol Chidi Okoye said, are punishable under sections 409 and 228(1)(2) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011, pleaded not guilty to the charges in the open court.

Chief Magistrate Miss A.O. Awogboro, who presided over the matter admitted them to bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.

Awogboro directed the prosecutor to send the case file to the DPP’s office for advice and adjourned the case till 18 March, 2015 for mention.

The defendants were taken to Ikoyi Prison, Lagos, pending when they would fulfill their bail conditions.

reported by Paul Iyoghoje.