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61-year-old female Christian cleric murdered in her Osun home

Published

3 months ago

August 25, 2024

Evangelist Odeniran Motunrayo Ayoade

61-year-old female Christian cleric murdered in her Osun home

Tragedy struck in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, last week as people suspected to be hired assassins allegedly macheted a female Christian cleric, Evangelist Odeniran Motunrayo Ayoade, to death at her residence.

Odeniran, a mother of three, who was the founder and spiritual head of Land of Goshen Interdenominational Prayer City located at Adelubi village, Ogbaagba, Agodo area, Owode -Ede in Osun State, retired last year as the pay mistress at the Bureau of Special Duties, office of the Governor of Osun State.

Since her retirement from active civil service, Mrs Odeniran who started her ministry many years ago was involved in aggressive evangelism within and outside the state.

It was gathered that the late cleric had travelled on evangelism for some days and returned home in the penultimate Saturday to prepare for Sunday service, not knowing that the evil doers had arranged something different for her as she eventually met her untimely death in the hands of men of the underworld on that fateful day.

The deceased who was until her death a widow, was the only person living at her residence located at Number 4, Irewumi street, Aroko estate, Ogo Oluwa, as her three children are already married and live in separate places with twonot them outside the country.

The first child of the deceased, Odeniran Abiodun, an engineer, who is the only child of the late cleric living in the state had gone to check her mother last Monday when all efforts to reach her on phone failed, only to find her mother in the pool of her blood.

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Narrating the ugly incident, Engr Odeniran told Sunday Sun that the 61-year-old woman had gone on evangelism and returned on that Saturday, but she could not be reached on her mobile phones, a situation which prompted him to visit her on Monday, but only to find her dead body.

He said: “We are aware that she travelled and she called us that she returned home on Saturday. We expected her in church on Sunday, but we didn’t see her, believing that she was tired as a result of her long trip. We also tried to call her, but her two lines were off and that was why I decided to call someone to help me check her at home.

“The person I sent to check her later called me and when I got to her house we noticed that the door was closed and when we entered we saw her in the pool of her own blood with machete cuts on her head.

“I could not hold the situation, when I saw my mother’s lifeless body lying helplessly on the floor in the kitchen. Her head was macheted in seven different places and there was machete cuts on other parts of her body. We called the police and police officers from Ataoja police division came around. The corpse was thereafter taken to the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital morgue.”

The deceased’s son said that his late mother was not involved in any kind of misunderstanding with any individual, adding that he was not aware of any issue she had with anybody, adding that his late mum was quite, calm, kind and easy going.

The deceased who worked in the office of the state Accountant General before her retirement last year worked with former Governors Rauf Aregbesola and Gboyega Oyetola, even as she worked briefly with the current governor of the state, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke before her retirement.

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It was learnt that the deceased retired at the Bureau of Special Duties in the office of the Governor as the pay officer in charge of the bureau.

Findings revealed that the suspected assailants did not cart away with anything from the deceased’s residence as all her belongings, including her cars and church bus were intact.

However, the two phones of the deceased cleric were carted away and the lines have since been switched off as the two lines could not be reached till the time of filing this report.

When Sunday Sun visited the residence of the deceased, scores of symphertizers were seen crying and wailing, with many of them raining curses on the killers of the cleric whom many of them described as a faithful Christian and their helper.

Many of the symphertizers said the deceased was a lover of the people who was always willing to assist those around her and thereby expressed worry on what could lead to her killing.

It was also gathered that the deceased’s church has worn mournful look since the untimely death of the founder with members praying to God to expose the killers of their late pastor who was killed untimely.

The son of the deceased who informed that the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Osun State Command of the Nigeria Police Force is already investigating the matter, disclosed that many individuals, including church members, neighbours and himself had been invited for interrogation by the police.

Although no arrest has been made in connection with the incident, the bereaved family said the police are already investigating the matter and expressed confidence in the ability of the state police command with the assistance of other sister security agencies to unravel those that perpetrated the derstardly act.

The gruesome murder of the female cleric has, however, continued to bring to question the validity of the security system in Osun State and country at large.

61-year-old female Christian cleric murdered in her Osun home

SUN

Related Topics:Christian cleric Osun home

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BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

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November 14, 2024

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BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

The federal government has unveiled a proposed budget of N47.9 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Bagudu revealed that the council had approved the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2025-2027.

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According to the minister, the government has pegged the crude oil benchmark at $75 per barrel, with an oil production target of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd).

The budget also sets the exchange rate at N1,400 per dollar and aims for a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.4%.

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EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

Published

6 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told FIJ that they have arrested Timber Wabote, the former executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCMB), on the grounds of a failed $35 million Bayelsa refinery project fraud.

Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesperson, confirmed this to FIJ on Thursday.

“It is true,” Oyewale responded to FIJ’s inquiries.

Wabote is accused of misappropriating public funds for a refinery project that should have improved local energy production.

Vanguard reported that the NCDMB under Wabote paid $35 million to support the development of energy infrastructure in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, yet there was nothing to show for it.

The EFCC picked Wabote up following the arrest of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, the Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, for alleged misappropriation, money laundering and diversion of $35 million in public funds.

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“NCDMB under the watch of Wabote allegedly paid the $35 million to Akindele to build a 2,000 barrel per day (BPD), refinery, jetty, gas plant, power plant, data centre and tank farm at Brass free trade zone (FTZ), Okpoama Community in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State,” a source with the EFCC had explained.

Since December 2020 when the payments were made, Akindele abandoned the project with little or nothing to show for the huge sum he received.

Preliminary investigations showed that Wabote’s NCDMB financed 17 different projects, including the 2,000 BPD refinery in Brass LGA.

There has been a series of public fund misappropriation cases in the energy sector in recent times.

FIJ earlier reported that members of the House of Representatives summoned three ministers to defend how over $2 billion was spent on renewable energy with not much to show for it.

A recent FIJ report also recently detailed how residents of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa, have not had power in their homes since July due to the vandalisation of the Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission towers caused by unidentified persons.

The Bayelsa state government told FIJ it was the federal government’s responsibility to provide electricity for residents. The state has no renewable energy options reliable enough to power its capital despite the multi-million-dollar NCMB energy project.

Transparency in the energy sector has become necessary at a time when Nigerians have suffered power instability due to frequent grid collapses.

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Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

Published

6 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

Yahaya Bello

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested an adjournment in the new case against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, stating that the 30-day window for the previously issued summons is still active.

The commission has granted administrative bail to his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and asked the court for an extension of time for Bello to appear.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, EFCC Counsel Jamiu Agoro noted that the court’s order from October 3rd had not yet expired.

“In that wise, we feel it will not be appropriate for us to take proceedings while that 30 days is still running. So we have discussed and agreed to come back on the 27th day of November, 2024, my lord,” he told the court.

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He also mentioned that the previously set date of November 20th was not convenient for the prosecution counsels.

Counsel to the second defendant, Aliyu Saiki, SAN, confirmed that his client had been granted administrative bail by the prosecution and had no objection to the adjournment request. The third defendant’s counsel, ZE Abass, concurred.

The prosecution counsel also requested the court to allow the notice of hearing to be pasted on the last known address of the first defendant.

After hearing from all counsels, the judge granted the EFCC’s application for adjournment and the issuance of the hearing notice.

“I have considered the application for adjournment by the complainant and issuance of hearing notice and the submission by the second and third defendants. The application is granted,” she said.

Justice Anenih then adjourned the case to November 27th for arraignment.

The former governor, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are being prosecuted as 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively, in a fresh 16-count charge instituted against them by the EFCC.