“I left UEC (United Evangelical Church) and decided to join the Catholic Church. When I went there the second time, I finished praying and left the church. But something pulled me back, and I just took the monstrance,” he admitted.
Abu further recounted how he proceeded to sell the sacred vessel to a group of scavengers, known locally as “Pantaker boys,” for 9,000 Naira (US$12.00).
He went on to recall an inner voice after making away with the Monstrance, and told ACI Africa, “The Spirit was telling me that I would be caught, and truly, I was caught. I cannot deny it. I am guilty. I have sinned against God and man.”
Abu was apprehended at Divine Mercy Karu Catholic Church, a suburb in Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, after church security became suspicious of him. He explained how the security team took his photo and distributed it among local Catholic churches, leading to his eventual arrest.
Authorities later recovered the Monstrance, but by then, it had been damaged; the glass was shattered, and the sacred vessel was rendered unusable.
“The monstrance was recovered, but it was destroyed,” he told ACI Africa during the September 12 interview.
Asked why he made away with the Monstrance, Abu blamed his action on lack of knowledge. “If I knew the full implication, I wouldn’t have done it,” he said.
He opened up about the challenges he has been going through, including losing his wife in a tragic accident, and his having to take care for their three children, who now live with his younger sister in Kaduna.
Abu said he lives in precarious condition, staying in an unsecured room in Karu with a friend who is often absent.
“I was hungry. I don’t have any help. But I know I did the wrong thing, and it’s in God’s hands now,” Abu said.
