Cleric, One Other Remanded Over Alleged Murder of LASU Graduate

Two of the four suspects arrested in connection with the murder of the Lagos State University (LASU) graduate, Adedamola Ogunbode, have been remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The 51-year-old shepherd in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Ileri-Oluwa Parish, Ojo, Sunday Whepetoji, and one Sheriff Adebayo, were remanded over their failure to have their warrants renewed by a Lagos magistrate’s court in Yaba.

The police had sought an order from the court to keep the suspect in their custody as the investigation progressed but the court ruled that the duo be remanded in the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.

Adedamola’s body was exhumed last week from a shallow grave by homicide detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, two months after he went missing.

His body was buried near the church by his killers who stole his phone and transferred N1.8m from his account. The deceased, who had told his girlfriend he was going to the church on January 16 allegedly at the invitation of the pastor, went missing afterwards.

N70,000 of the money was sent to the pastor’s personal account by Adebayo, a member of the church.

Unknown to his killers, Ogunbode, a political science education graduate from LASU, was on the phone with his girlfriend when he arrived at the church premises and had told her where he was before his disappearance.

In the course of the investigation following complaints from his family, Whepetoji was apprehended by detectives but he denied ever seeing the victim.

The incident that occurred in January was immediately reported at the Ojo police station as a case of a missing person. But it only got the needed attention when the new commissioner of Police in Lagos Olohundare Jimoh assumed office with a directive for a thorough investigation of murder and to unravel the whereabouts of the victim.

A few days after, the State Criminal and Investigation Department arrested three suspects including Sheriff Adebayo, alleged to be the prime suspect and the one who ordered that Ogunbode be executed, and 25-year-old Ajisomo Olaoluwatomi, who is still being interrogated.

Of the N1.8m removed from the deceased’s account, Adebayo sent N70,000 to the clergyman from the N1.8m removed from Adedamola’s account. N300,000 was transferred to Olaoluwatomi while three other suspects are still at large including one Teniola.