The family, friends and acquaintances of 28-year-old Adedamola Ogunbode are still mourning his demise. And for him and them it’s double Jeopardy as the young man was murdered in the church he attended and ostensibly the dastardly act was carried out by his pastor, Evang. Whepetoji Babaniyeh of the Celestial Church of Christ , LASU II Parish . And his body has been exhumed from the premises of the Church as security agents continue investigations into the heinous crime.
The tale of tragedy for the young man began on January 16 when he left his business centre Horlar Edu Consultancy — a private business operating at the LASU Campus. When he didn’t returned and he couldn’t be located within 24 hours he was declared missing.
Nothing was heard from him until security agents stepped in and they began to investigate his mysterious disappearance.
Breakthrough came when his girlfriend told investigators that on the day he disappeared he told her that he was going to his church. Indeed she told the agents that Adedamola called her from the front of the Church , CCC ILERI OLUWA PARISH, LASU 2 to affirm that he had arrived the church and he would call later.
That call never came.
In the course of the investigation agents visited the shepherd of the Church Babaniyeh who denied seeing Adedamola on January 26,2025 , the day he disappeared.
However the agents embarked on digital based investigation and pinpointed Adedamola last whereabouts at his church.
They also struck gold when they examined his bank account . Through the bank statement they noticed suspicious withdrawals from the account after his disappearance.
The security agents discovered that #1.5M was transferred from the account on the day he went missing.
And when they probed the receiving account it turned out to be that of the Shepherd, his daughter and two other individuals associated with the shepherd.
At first The shepherd, Sup. Evang. Whepetoji Babaniyeh denied receiving the money but when agents showed him the statement of account he claimed the missing man transferred it to him as Thanksgiving offering.
There and then he was arrested and detained for further investigation.
After further investigation, the agents were told to carry out extensive scrutiny of the church environment.
And they made a gory discovery; the mutilated body of Adedamola buried in a shallow grave in the church premises.
Sources report the discovery of axes and some of the weapons suspected to have been used to murder Adedamola in the Church premises.
Evang. Whepetoji Babaniyeh and other suspects in the case are still facing intensive interrogations to determine levels of culpability
