Metro
Murder in the church: How worker killed pastor over woman
The altar, considered a sacred place where priests offer prayers, turned into a slaughter slab at Grace of Comfort Parish of the Celestial Church of Christ, Ile-Ife in Osun State.
It was not just an ordinary person that was allegedly killed on the sacred platform, but the shepherd of the church, Most Senior Evangelist Morris Fadehan by his assistant, Lekan Ogundipe, following several disagreements between them.
Ogundipe was said to have laid ambush within the church premises and unleashed terror on his victim while the deceased bowed and prayed on the altar.
He allegedly stabbed him in the head several times, hit a nail through his ear and nose before dragging the lifeless body out of the altar, wrapped it with clothes and set it on fire.
Ogundipe while allegedly perpetrating his crime also sustained injuries on his hand while the deceased, during the struggle, scratched him severely on the face.
It was gathered that the church’s shepherd had on many occasions complained about Ogundipe’s attitude, especially money and immorality, and had vowed to stop him from assisting him but not without getting the approval of the church’s elders.
Speaking while receiving a delegation from the national headquarters, Pa Olafare, said to own the church, explained how the incident happened.
Olafare 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 includes an 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.”
Ogundipe was also said to have assaulted Ewan, a prophetess in the church.
The mother of two was reportedly angry with Ogundipe for claiming to be in a false relationship with the lady.
Ewa said: “Last Wednesday morning after Ogundipe had opened the church, I decided to sweep the floor when he started talking to me but I refused to respond.
“He then started harassing me. I quickly told him to stay away from me and that he should stop telling people we are dating because I was not having any intimate relationship with him besides Church issues. Rather than stop, he beat me with a cane which resulted in a fistfight until an elderly woman had to wade in and rescue me from his grip.
“Afterwards, the shepherd came around, heard the incident and scolded him for involving himself in such a mess. He even threatened to kill me before he was asked to leave the church area.”
Following the incident, it was gathered that the shepherd collected the church’s key from him, an incident that did not go well with Ogundipe.
However, penultimate Monday, after Ogundipe had allegedly perpetrated the crime inside the church without being detected, he quickly went to Pa Olafare’s house to report that he met the shepherd’s body on the floor burning.
His words: “While I was about eating on Monday evening, one Lekan came to the house and told me the deceased body was on fire and that he was lifeless on the floor. My wife and I drove to the church with him where we found the deceased partly burnt inside the church.
“Other members of the church within the vicinity were also attracted to the scene. While inspecting the church vicinity, 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 the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital in Ile-Ife.
“Meanwhile, Lekan later confessed to the police that he perpetrated the crime because of a dispute with the deceased.”
Meanwhile, the Osun State Police Command Spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, said the suspect is in police custody for further investigation.
She said police upon getting to the scene found the deceased’s body in its pool of blood, saying: “Marks of violence were discovered on the corpse, we took photographs and the body was taken to Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, OAUTH, for autopsy.”
Metro
Appeal Court Affirms 12-Year Jail Term for Businessman Over $1.4 Million Fraud
The Court of Appeal in Lagos has upheld the conviction and 12-year prison sentence of Kolawole Adedayo Erinle, a businessman found guilty of defrauding a foreign company of $1.4 million.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday, 19 December 2024, by a three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, affirmed the sentencing of Erinle, alongside his company, Rinde-Remdex Nigeria Limited, on charges of conspiracy, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, and obtaining money under false pretence.
Erinle had been initially arraigned before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja on 11 March 2022.
However, following Justice Taiwo’s retirement, the case was reassigned to Justice Oshodi.
On 28 October 2022, Erinle was re-arraigned on the three-count charge, which included the false representation of himself and his accomplice, Edward Dada (still at large), as agents of J.E. Dunn, a construction company based in the United States.
They created a fraudulent domain name, jedunn.org, to deceive their victims into transferring $1,410,000.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had accused Erinle of perpetrating the crime in 2019 in Lagos, with the intent to exploit the fraudulent representation for monetary gain.
During the trial, Erinle admitted to being a convicted fraudster in the United States, where he served 23 months in prison for similar offences.
Although he initially denied the charges, he later expressed remorse, stating, “I am sorry.”
Justice Oshodi, after considering the facts of the case, convicted Erinle on 26 September 2023, sentencing him to 12 years in prison for obtaining money under false pretence.
The sentence was ordered to run concurrently, beginning from 10 February 2023. Erinle’s company was also fined N50 million and ordered to be wound up, with all proceeds forfeited to the Federal Government.
Erinle sought to appeal the conviction, but the EFCC’s counsel, T.J. Banjo, argued that the appeal lacked merit and urged the appellate court to dismiss it.
In the lead judgment, Justice Danlami Zama Senchi upheld the lower court’s ruling, stating that the prosecution had successfully proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Erinle’s appeal was dismissed, cementing the conviction and serving as a stern reminder of the consequences of financial fraud.
Metro
Wife flees after setting Nigerian Police husband on fire
A woman, identified as Sarah Ayinde, allegedly set her husband, Abidemi Ayinde, a special constable with the Ogun State Police Command, ablaze in Iperu community in Ogun State.
It was gathered that the incident occurred on December 12, following a minor disagreement between them.
It was reports that a source revealed the dispute escalated, leading the wife to allegedly set her husband, a police officer, on fire in an act of retaliation.
The source said, “There was an incident in Iperu where a police constable was set on fire by his wife following an argument. The victim is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.”
Confirming the incident in a telephone conversation, the state police command spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, stated on Sunday that the victim was hospitalised and efforts were ongoing to apprehend the suspect.
“On December 12, 2024, around 10:00 a.m., an attempted murder was reported in Iperu. At No. 20 Igboore Street, Abidemi Ayinde, a male special constable, was set ablaze by his wife, Sarah Ayinde, after a minor disagreement.
“The victim was rushed to Bolawatife Hospital for treatment and is now in stable condition. Meanwhile, the suspect, Sarah Ayinde, is currently at large, and a manhunt is underway. The division’s crime branch is investigating the case further,” Odutola added.
Metro
Wife flees after setting Ogun cop ablaze during dispute
A wife, Sarah Ayinde, is on the run after setting her husband, a special constable with the Ogun State Police Command, Abidemi Ayinde, ablaze in the Iperu area of the state.
PUNCH Metro gathered from a source who pleaded anonymity that the incident occurred on December 12 after the couple had engaged in a minor dispute.
The source disclosed to our correspondent on Sunday that the dispute escalated, and the wife resorted to setting the cop ablaze in a retaliatory attempt.
The Source said, “There is an incident in Iperu. A police constabulary was set on fire by his wife. They argued, and the wife set him on fire. He is currently hospitalised.”
Confirming the incident in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, the spokesperson for the state Police Command, Omolola Odutola, told PUNCH Metro on Sunday that the victim was hospitalised following the incident.
She narrated that efforts were underway to apprehend the wife.
“On December 12, 2024, at approximately 10:00 a.m., an attempted murder incident occurred in Iperu. Reports indicate that at No. 20 Igboore Street, Abidemi Ayinde, a male special constable with the police division, was set on fire by his wife, Sarah Ayinde, following a minor dispute.
“The victim was quickly taken to the Bolawatife Hospital for medical attention and is currently in a stable condition.
“The suspect, Sarah Ayinde, remains at large, and efforts are underway to apprehend her. The division’s crime branch is conducting further investigations into the matter,” Odutola said.
PUNCH Metro reported a similar incident in October 2019, when a policeman attached to the Highway Patrol Team of the Lagos State Police Command committed suicide after shooting his wife dead at the prison barracks on Awolowo Road in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State.
Our correspondent gathered at the time that a fight broke out between the couple which led the policeman to shoot his wife dead with his gun.
After shooting his wife, it was learnt that the cop also shot himself dead.
PUNCH Metro correspondent who visited the area at the time of the incident gathered that the policeman and his wife were arguing about their marriage when the tragedy occurred.
Credit: PUNCH
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