Suspects reportedly arrested over the killing last year of an Abuja-based pastor, Mrs Eunice Olawale Elisha, have been released, Ceoafrica has learnt.

The suspects, whose identities were not revealed by the Abuja police command, were released because police investigation “could not link them to the murder,” said spokesperson of the command, Manzah Anjuguri.

“What happened is that when the incident occurred, arrests were made, but during the course of the investigation we found out that the persons arrested could not be linked to the said murder. And we cannot keep them if we do not have any case against them,” Mr Anjuguri said.

“They were released under the condition that they will be invited for questioning whenever the need arises, but the commissioner has instructed the Divisional Police Officer for that region to intensify efforts on the matter; the case has not been closed, investigations are on-going,” Mr Anjuguri added.

Hours after the murder of 42-year-old Mrs Elisha on July 9, 2016, the police said it had arrested suspects in the matter, and said their confessions were considered helpful in the investigations into the matter.

“We have made some arrests and they are helping in our investigation”, the police spokesperson said at that time.

Anjuguri also said that “the commissioner of police ordered the homicide section of the command to take over the case’s investigation on the day Mrs Elisha was found dead on the streets of Kubwa, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

During that disclosure in July, Mr Anjuguri didn’t say the number of suspects “arrested” nor their identities, which he said were withheld because “the investigation was at an early stage and the matter was a crucial one”.

Mrs Eunice Olawale Elisha was killed while conducting an early morning preaching in the streets of Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja.