A tragic incident occured at the Celestial Church of Christ in Omitoto, Ile-Ife, Osun State, as an assistant priest, Lekan Ogundipe, brutally murdered the presiding pastor, Morris Fadehan (64).
The incident occured amidst simmering tensions between the two church figures, fueled by a series of behavioral conflicts.
The breaking point came after an altercation involving Ogundipe and a prophetess known as Mummy Ewa, who accused him of spreading rumors about their relationship.
This confrontation, which occurred last week, led to Ogundipe assaulting the prophetess, prompting Fadehan to intervene and announce his intention to dismiss Ogundipe from his position.
On Monday evening, Ogundipe went to the home of the church’s owner, Pa Olafare, and reportedly claimed there was a fire burning Fadehan’s body at the church.
They rushed to the scene to find Fadehan’s lifeless body burnt and bloodied inside the sanctuary.
A source familiar with the incident narrated: ”The presiding pastor, Fadehan was infuriated by the action of his assistant. He had several issues with Lekan (Ogundipe) before then because he has been reacting to issues with anger.
“The key of the church used to be in the custody of the assistant, but after the incident, Fadehan took the key from him and then promised to report to the church committee who would ratify his expulsion from the church. Lekan stabbed his boss repeatedly with a knife and inserted nails into his ears which caused him to bleed to death. After that, he used prayer perfume on the altar to burn him.”
The owner of the church, Pa Olafare while receiving delegates from the Celestial headquarters said, “The deceased had reported to me that he was to disengage Lekan (the suspect) as his assistant over many unlawful acts. Most recent of them include the assault on a prophetess in the church last Wednesday and I agreed with him, but he added that he will take the decision after consulting with the elders.
“But while I was about eating on Monday evening, the said Lekan came to the house and told me fire is burning on the deceased body and that he was lifeless on the floor, hence, I drove back with him and my wife to the church where we found the deceased partly burnt inside the church.
“We discovered blood stains on different parts of his body and cuts. When we asked Lekan about the blood stains, he attempted to run but we grabbed him and locked him in my car before calling in the police.
“We unwrapped the deceased pastor’s body and discovered that there were nails in his ear and several cuts on the head and neck before we took the body to the morgue at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife.
“Meanwhile, Lekan later confessed to the police that he perpetrated the crime because of a dispute with the deceased.”
Police investigations confirmed the gruesome nature of the crime, with Ogundipe confessing to the murder. Prophetess Ewa corroborated the events leading up to the tragedy, highlighting Ogundipe’s penchant for gossip and aggression.
Police spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, affirmed Ogundipe’s arrest and assured the public that thorough investigations were underway. Meanwhile, Fadehan’s body was transferred to the morgue for autopsy, as the community grappled with the harrowing reality of betrayal and loss within their spiritual sanctuary
source: The Quest Times
