The Abia Police Command said on Monday that it had commenced investigation into the suspected murder of two priests and a woman at Umuobia Housing Estate, Umuahia.

The Command’s Public Relations Officers (PPRO), SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia.

He said that the command had commenced investigation into the murder, adding that it hoped to unravel the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

NAN recalls that the deceased included Kelechi Iwuanyanwu, a pastor and founder of Winds of Glory, a new generation church located in Ohokobe-Ndume in Umuahia North Local Government Area.

Ogbonna was reportedly murdered in his residence at the estate in the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 14, along with his alleged mistress and Woman Leader of the church, Ruth Andrews and Kalu Ikeagwu, the assistant pastor.

Their remains were recovered on Saturday by the police, following a report by Ikeagwu’s relatives and distraught members of the church.

According to him, the remains of the deceased were found decomposing in Iwuanyanwu’s bungalow, situated in an isolated part of the estate.

“We appeal to anybody with useful information that will help us to unravel the killers to come to the command with such information,” Ogbonna said.

He said that a team of policemen, led by Deputy Commissioner in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Mr Patrick Edung, recovered the corpses.

He said that preliminary findings showed that the deceased were all macheted to death by their assailants.

Ogbonna said that members of the church became apprehensive over the whereabouts of Iwuanyanwu, Ruth and Ikeagwu after they failed to attend services on Oct. 14 and Wednesday.

He said that worried by the development, they decided to visit the pastor’s house.

“Upon getting to the house, they noticed that the place was under lock and key, with bad odour oozing out of the compound.

“They decided to scale the fence into the compound and when they peeped through the windows, they found the three corpses in different locations inside the house,” he said.

He said that the people quickly rushed to Ubakala Police Station, where they reported the incident.

The spokesman said that the bodies were deposited at the Federal Medical Centre morgue in Umuahia.

He also said that the assailants reportedly took away electronic gadgets and exotic cars, including Pathfinder and Lexus Jeeps, allegedly belonging to the pastor.

The lady, Ruth, was said to be a proprietor of a popular crèche, nursery and private school in Umuahia.