An ex-convict, Kenneth Ejiofor, has been arrested for allegedly breaking into a pastor’s house and stealing the church offering.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Ejiofor, who was staying with the pastor, Samuel Orji, on September 30, broke into his house while he was in church and stole the church offering and two ATM cards.

Orji was said to have had a misunderstanding with Ejiofor the previous day and had sent him packing.

Our correspondent learnt that Ejiofor came the next day and broke into Orji’s house when he was not around and went away with the offering said to be N11,000; and seed offering that had yet to be counted.

Orji, in his statement to the police, said he allowed Ejiofor to stay in his house because Ejiofor’s elder brother begged him to pray for him (Ejiofor), adding that things started getting missing during Ejiofor’s stay.

He said, “Ejiofor’s brother brought him to Lagos from the village. He couldn’t stay with his brother because of his character. His brother pleaded with me to allow Ejiofor to stay with me so that I could pray for him.

“During the period he stayed in our house, things started getting missing. My wife will cook and give him food but after eating, he will take a piece of meat from the pot.

“My wife bought a lock and started locking the kitchen, but Kenneth broke the lock. Money would just miss in the house; unknown to us, Kenneth had a spare key to the house.

“Kenneth’s job is to fetch water once in two days. One Saturday, there was no water in the house except the little water in the kitchen and Kenneth used the water to bath. When I confronted him, he told me that he had respected me enough and I should respect myself.

“I was angry and I told him to pack his bag and leave my house.

“On Sunday when we were in church, he came back to the house, broke the gate and opened the sitting room with the spare key with him and stole the offering money which is N11,000. He also took the seed offering money which we have not counted, as well as two ATMs.”

However, Ejiofor in his statement confessed to been an ex-convict but denied stealing the church offering.

He was arraigned before Ogba Magistrates’ Court on four counts bordering on stealing and breach of the peace.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The charges read in part, “That you, Kenneth Ejiofor, on September 30, around 10.30pm, on Awoni Murphy Street, off Haruna College Road, Ogba, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did break the burglary proof bars and gain access to the sitting room and did commit felony to wit; stealing, threatening violence and conduct likely to cause breach of the peace; thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 307 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

“That you, Kenneth Ejiofor, on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned magisterial district, did steal the sum of N11,500 and Zenith Bank ATM card, property of one pastor Samuel Orji, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 280 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State

The magistrate, W.A. Salami, admitted him to bail in the sum of N100,000 and two sureties in like sum.

Salami adjourned the matter till November 21.