DAVAO CITY – Around 2,000 police officers swooped down on the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound in this city early Saturday morning to arrest its fugitive founder, Apollo Quiboloy, and five other co-accused.
As of posting time, the search teams have yet to find any of the six.
Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-11) Director, said the search may take a while since the 30-hectare compound in Buhangin District is too big to finish within a day.
“He is just there. They are just hiding him,” Torre said in an ambush interview.
He vowed not to leave the compound, which they entered around 5 a.m., until Quiboloy was found and arrested. He maintained that the operation was legal and backed by court documents.
“We will not leave here until we arrest him and his co-accused. The public should know that it is a warrant of arrest we are implementing against that man (Quiboloy),” he added.
The police official said they have heart detector equipment to help them locate the pastor. The equipment, he explained does not only detect heartbeat but also a person’s body temperature.
Quiboloy and the five other KOJC members are facing charges of child abuse and human trafficking. Two courts from Davao City and Pasig City in Metro Manila ordered their arrest.
Meanwhile, PRO-11 confirmed that a 51-year-old male member, reportedly a food vendor, died of heart attack.
He lost consciousness while manning one of the KOJC watchtowers, according to the police report.
“The police were simply fulfilling their duty in executing the warrant of arrest for Pastor Quiboloy, who has been evading law enforcement. The death is not related to the ongoing implementation of the warrant of arrest,” PRO-11 said in a statement. “We urge the public to understand the context of this situation and the efforts made by law enforcement to uphold the law.” (PNA)
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