Ogun Church Founders In Police Net For Killing Member During Fellowship

Co-founders of a Christian fellowship group, Life Builders Network, Chidi Samuel and Paul Zakari, were part of the 15 suspected criminals paraded by the Ogun State Police Command on Monday.

The duo was paraded for allegedly killing a church member, Favour Okumazor, in Oyan village, Imala, in the Abeokuta-North area of the state.

Speaking during the parade at the police headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, on Monday, the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, Bankole said his men arrested 15 suspects in March with various weapons.

He noted that a murder suspect, Saheed Ogundahun, was arrested on March 13, for allegedly killing a Fulani herdsman with a dane gun and burying him on his farm in Ewekoro.

He explained that the corpse was exhumed and taken to the Ifo General Hospital’s mortuary for an autopsy.

Bankoke said, “On credible intelligence, one Saheed Ogundahun, a hunter, was arrested in connection with the case.

“On interrogation, the said Saheed confessed that he shot the victim to death and buried him in the bush.”

Also paraded were two notorious kidnappers, Sulaimon Mohammed, 40, and Jato Bello, 40.

Bankole said, “The suspects took some youths numbering seven away from their parents to an isolated area in Oyan village via Imala for what they called Bible study and fellowship.”

The police boss said the suspects were arrested following a report by a parent, who was alerted by one of the victims after he escaped.

Meanwhile, the police boss said his men were neither involved nor carried along by relatives of kidnap victims in the payment of ransom.

Bankole described kidnap cases as sensitive, adding that the police were always careful to ensure the safety of victims first.

He said, “The issue of payment of ransom, when victims are kidnapped, to the best of my knowledge, if ransoms are paid, it is not to the knowledge of the police.”