Drone operator apprehended for alleged filming, spying on cleric’s home in Enugu

Enugu Police Command officers have reportedly arrested one Michael Ali for allegedly using a drone to spy on Highway to Grace Assembly Church premises and the residence of the overseeing pastor, Reverend Chikammadu Eze.

The suspect, who is from Aguibeje in Enugu State’s Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, is said to have gone to the church in Alor Unor in Nsukka council area, hid in the bush nearby the church, and filmed the entire compound, including the cleric’s residential house, before being apprehended by police operatives from Nsukka Division.

According to a police source, the incident happened on Saturday, and the suspect claimed he was filming the cleric’s home for a documentary when he was interrogated.

The suspect, who claimed to be working on the Nsukka landscape, said he was still learning how to fly it when asked why he chose to fly his drone from the bush.

According to the source, he admitted that focusing his equipment on the cleric’s home and a church building was a mistake.

Reverend Eze described the incident, saying he was surprised to see a drone flying around his compound and on top of his church building.

He immediately began monitoring the drone, only to discover that the suspect, Ali, was hiding in a bush near his house, from which he controlled the drone.

Eze stated that he immediately notified the police and mobilized his family, who encircled the entire area to ensure that the suspect did not flee until the police arrived and picked him up.

Eze promised to sue Ali, alleging that the suspect was out to harm his family and the church.
“If Ali was doing a video documentary and had no evil intentions, why didn’t he inform me before taking pictures of my church, family, and my picture with his drone?” he wondered.