A 42-year-old self-acclaimed pastor, Segun Philip, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly killing a final year Sociology student of the Lagos State University, Favour Daley-Oladele, for money ritual.
The cleric was arrested alongside a 23-year-old boy, Adeeko Owolabi, said to be the boyfriend of the deceased, who was reported to have left home to an unknown destination since December 8, and has not been seen since then.
She was subsequently reported missing by her parents at Mowe Police Station.
The Ogun police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the arrest on Sunday, said, based on the report, the Divisional Police Officer of Mowe Division, Marvis Jayeola, detailed his detectives to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the 22-year-old girl.
“The detectives went into full scale technical and forensic investigation of the case and their efforts paid off when the movement of the deceased was traced to a white garment church in faraway Ikoyi-Ile in Osun State being pastored by one Segun Philip.
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“On getting to the church, the self-acclaimed pastor was promptly arrested but he was quick to inform the detectives that the girl was brought to him by her boyfriend Adeeko Owolabi who was still within the vicinity of the church. The said boyfriend was traced and apprehended immediately.”
Mr Oyeyemi said, on interrogation, Adeeko Owolabi confessed to the police that the deceased was his girlfriend and that he lured her to Ikoyi-Ile where he had perfected plans with the cleric to use her for money-making ritual.
The police said the boyfriend stated further that while the girl was sleeping, the pastor gave him a pestle he used to smash the head of the girl. After this, the pastor quickly used a knife to cut off her neck, ripped open her chest and removed her heart which he used in preparing a concoction for him and his mother to eat, Mr Owolabi reportedly told the police.
Mr Owolabi’s mother was also arrested.
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“When asked what pushed him to such devilish act, Owolabi explained that he decided to go into money ritual because things are not going well with his parents economically most especially his mother who used to be the breadwinner of the family; and when he sought for assistance from the pastor, he was asked to bring a human being for that purpose and the available person at that time was his girlfriend,” the police spokesman said.
The Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for proper investigation.
He vowed to ensure that all the suspects face the full wrath of the law.
