DAVAO CITY – Early Saturday morning, approximately 2,000 police officers descended on the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound in Davao City in a bid to arrest its fugitive founder, Apollo Quiboloy, along with five other co-accused individuals.
Despite the massive operation, the search teams have yet to locate any of the six suspects.
Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, Director of Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-11), acknowledged that the search might take some time due to the vastness of the 30-hectare compound in Buhangin District.
“He is just there. They are just hiding him,” Torre remarked during an ambush interview.
Torre vowed that the police would not leave the compound, which they entered at around 5 a.m., until Quiboloy and his co-accused are found and arrested. He emphasized that the operation was legal and fully supported by court-issued 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),” Torre asserted.
The police official also mentioned the use of heart detector equipment to assist in locating the pastor. This equipment, he explained, is capable of detecting not only a person’s heartbeat but also body temperature.
Quiboloy, along with the five other KOJC members, faces serious charges, including child abuse and human trafficking. The arrests were ordered by courts in Davao City and Pasig City in Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, PRO-11 confirmed that a 51-year-old male member of KOJC, reportedly a food vendor, suffered a fatal heart attack during the operation.
According to the police report, the man lost consciousness while on duty at one of the KOJC watchtowers.
“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 stated. “We urge the public to understand the context of this situation and the efforts made by law enforcement to uphold the law.”