Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Ondo State Police Command has arrested three suspects in connection with the death of a 71-year-old church leader whose lifeless body was discovered in a hotel room just hours before he was due to be installed as the Head Prayer Warrior Father of a Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) Church faction.
Elder Omotayo Ezekiel Fajana, a senior member of the C&S Church, had travelled to Akungba-Akoko, the headquarters of Akoko South‑West Local Government Area, for a church programme at Ogo Orimolade C&S Church along Okerigbo‑Ikare Road, where he was scheduled to be installed as the Head Baba Aladura of a faction of the church, according to multiple reports.
The case was reported at the Akungba Police Division on Saturday by Mr Olaseni Sunday Olaoluwa, a nephew of the deceased, who told police that his uncle had travelled to the community for the installation ceremony, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Ondo State Command, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said in a statement on Monday.
Fajana was found dead in a hotel room in Akungba‑Akoko under circumstances police have described as suspicious. Preliminary findings have raised concerns about the handling of the deceased’s body after his death. According to Jimoh, detectives are investigating allegations that some church officials and hotel staff moved Fajana’s remains from the hotel to a mortuary in Ikare‑Akoko without first obtaining a medical certificate or official confirmation of the cause of death from a qualified medical practitioner.
Police are also probing reports that money may have exchanged hands to facilitate the swift transfer of the body to the mortuary, while church activities reportedly continued despite the incident.
“In the course of the investigation, three suspects have been arrested and are currently in police custody, assisting with inquiries,” Jimoh stated. “Detectives have commenced efforts to establish the actual cause of death and determine whether any criminal acts were involved.” The Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, CP Felix Ohagwu, has ordered a comprehensive and discreet investigation into the incident, assuring the public that anyone found culpable will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The incident has generated reactions within religious circles and across the Akoko community, given Fajana’s status and the significance of the installation ceremony that was abruptly halted. The police have urged members of the public to remain calm and allow investigators to carry out a thorough probe into the circumstances surrounding the cleric’s death.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com ✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments