The shepherd of Grace of Comfort Parish of the Celestial Church of Christ, Ile-Ife in Osun State, the Most Senior Evangelist Morris Fadehan has been killed by his assistant, Lekan Ogundipe, following several disagreements over a woman.
According to Vanguard, 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 included an assault on a prophetess in the church last Wednesday, and I agreed with him, but he added that he would 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.”
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.”
