Posted by By TUNDE RAHEEM, Akure on
For over two years, a man in Ondo State was travelling with a Bible in his hands.
For over two years, a man in Ondo State was travelling with a Bible in his hands.
Most people had come to know Julius Odogor as a powerful preacher, but there was more to him than met the eyes.
It took a closer look by an eagle-eyed detective to show that Odogor is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
He was found to have carefully concealed 200kg of cannabis under his free-style dress. And looking at the way his body was padded with the evil product, Odogor would have been mistaken for a suicide bomber.
The game he had played for two years came to an end when a plain-clothes policeman, a co-passenger in a bus, challenged him at Ifon town in Ose Local Government Area of the state.
When the policeman stopped the bus and ordered him to get down, he raised his Bible and said: "Praise the Lord! Young man what can I do for you?"
The policeman asked Odogor to identify himself and he said: "I am Pastor Julius Odogor. May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you gentleman."
Odogor eventually realised that the policeman meant business when he was asked to take off his clothes. He tried to run but was caught after a hot chase by the policeman and road transport workers. Twelve big packs of cannabis were found padded to his chest, back and ankles.
He said he had been able to fool security agents for over two years during which he had been transporting cannabis from Ifon to Owo and Akure.
"I adopted the system because the security agents have been disturbing us, especially NDLEA officials," Odogor said. He also revealed that he was a farmer growing Indian hemp.
He said: "Frustration drove me into the business. I beg God to forgive me for deceiving people with the Bible, but it was better than armed robbery, so I have no regrets."