There
was panic at Matogun, in the Lambe area of Ogun State on Tuesday after the
police recovered corpses of two missing pupils from a church in the community,
Christ Crusaders’ Deliverance Ministry.
The
deceased – six-year-old Isaac Ayegbo, a primary 2 pupil, and Ayomide Innocent,
4, who was in Nursery 1 – were reportedly found inside the church’s vehicle
after they were declared missing on Sunday.
It was learnt that
Ayomide’s mother, while travelling to the Republic of Benin on Friday, brought
him to Isaac’s mother to look after him.
The
children, after taking their lunch on Sunday, were playing outside Ayegbos’
residence, which was opposite the church, when they went missing.
Isaac’s
father, Abiodun Ayegbo, was said to have reported the duo’s disappearance at
the Agbado Police Division on the same day, but he was told to come back after
24 hours, which he did.
He
said, “Ayomide was my friend’s son and he was brought to my wife when his
mother travelled.
“She
did not take him along because of his school because she would spend about six
months there. They (Isaac and Ayomide) came back with my wife from church on
Sunday and she gave them food.
“After
eating, they went playing around the house. It was my grandmother who raised
the alarm when she did not see them. I was told on the telephone to come home
when they could not be found.
“I
was called this morning (Tuesday) from the station and on getting there, the
policemen took me to Christ Crusaders’ Deliverance Ministry, where their
corpses were recovered.”
It
was gathered that an angry mob would have set the church ablaze, but for the
intervention of armed policemen deployed in the area.
Abiodun’s
brother, Kunle Ayegbo, said he found the slippers Isaac wore on the day he went
missing inside a car on the church premises, adding that about eight pairs of
sandals were also found inside a bus, where their corpses were recovered.
He
said the discovery made him sense that something had gone amiss and urged the
police to thoroughly investigate the matter to unravel those responsible for
the dastardly act.
“The
police initially wanted to change the fact that the children were found dead on
the church premises, but we stood our grounds. I took some pictures in the
church but we were not allowed to take the picture of the children. I found
Isaac’s slippers inside a car and about eight other sandals in a bus. I suspect
foul play and want this case to be properly investigated and the culprits
brought to book.
“Some
boys in the community nearly set the church on fire. The policemen and I had to
calm them down. We want justice on this matter,” he said.
It was
further learnt that
Ayomide’s father, Nouanti Innocent, passed out when the news of his son’s death
was broken to him and he had yet to regain consciousness as of Tuesday evening.
His
wife had yet to be informed of the incident.
A
pastor at the headquarters of the church in the Akute area of the state, Mr.
Yemi Adebisi, who spoke on behalf of the church, said the incident was still a
mystery as there were guards manning the premises around the clock.
He
said the remains of the children were discovered by some members of the church
who wanted to sleep inside the bus before the commencement of a vigil.
He
said, “The corpses were discovered around 11pm when some church members wanted
to sleep inside the bus. We are having a five-day vigil. They alerted the
pastor and he called me immediately. We have reported the matter to the police.
The vehicle where the corpses were found belongs to the church and it has been
out of order for years. People usually sleep inside it.
“There
are guards who man the place all day and all night.
I can’t understand
the mystery surrounding it. It was a strange occurrence and it has destabilised
everybody. It is a major challenge to the church.”
The
Ogun State Police spokesperson, DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said the pastor of the
church, Babatunde Olakunle, and a church worker, Adewale Babalola, had been
arrested.
He
said, “We recovered two corpses on the church premises and had been deposited
in a mortuary for autopsy.
“We
have commenced our investigation. The pastor of the church and a church worker
were arrested.”
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