A pastor has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command alongside three other suspects in connection with the discovery of human parts buried inside his church in Ota.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, who paraded the cleric yesterday in Ota, said the arrested 77-year-old prophet, Babatunde, is the founder of a white garment Church at Itedo Isinmi Ayo Parish, Egan Road in Iyana-Iyesi area of Ota. The Police boss, who conducted newsmen round the Church’s premises, said the discovery followed the arrest, on Saturday, of a suspected serial kidnapper, Adeola.
According to Iliyasu, Adeola, 32, who specialises in kidnapping children, had confessed that the prophet of the white garment church was the receiver of the abducted children. The Police Commissioner added that a 43-year-old herbalist, Afolabi, was among the suspects, who allegedly buried the human parts at the entrance of the church.
He said: “Police operatives attached to the Area Command in Ota, on Sunday, received technical intelligence about Adeola and eventually apprehended him. “On the strength of the intelligence, detectives from Ota Area Command were detailed to effect the arrest of the suspect; and at about 10:20a.m., their efforts paid off when the said Adeola was arrested. “On interrogation, he confessed being a serial kidnapper and mentioned a prophet of a white garment church as the receiver of the kidnapped children. “Upon his revelation, he was taken to the house/church of the said prophet at Iyana-Iyesi Ota, where one Prophet Babatunde, 77, a pastor in charge of the church and one Afolabi, 42, a traditional worshipper, were arrested. “The floor of the church was dug up as described by the first suspect, and parts suspected to be human parts were found.”
The Commissioner said the Command will conduct forensic investigation into the case and assured that all those found guilty of the crime will be brought to justice.
The Prophet however, denied the allegation, saying that a pig was buried alive inside the church contrary to claims that human parts were buried there. He explained that he carried out the act to bring good fortune, prosperity and comfort to the congregation of the church. The embattled cleric, who revealed that he founded the church in 2005, expressed regret over the incident, which he blamed on the devil. Babatunde said though he met Adeola at a prayer mountain in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, he never had any ritual dealing with the alleged serial kidnapper, who he accused of mental instability.
But Adeola insisted that the pastor was the receiver of some kidnapped children, saying the cleric paid him N50,000 each for the two children he supplied to him. The suspect said one Olaniyi, still at large, introduced him to the business of kidnapping in 2013 in Ibadan, where they used a commercial vehicle.
