Details have emerged as to how unidentified gunmen killed a priest inside a parish of the Celestial Church of Christ in Idiroko area of Ipokia Local Government, Ogun State on Sunday, January 19.
The victim, Venerable Superior Evangelist Abayomi Adetula, was also a senior officer of So SAFE Corps, the local security outfit established by the Ogun State Government.
Contrary to reports in the mainstream and online media, the name of the church founded by the deceased is the Celestial Church of Christ, Hebrew Cathedral along Baggage Road, Odo Eran, Idiroko.
However, insiders who witnessed the gory scene gave graphic details of Adetula’s last moments and how his killers disguised as members of Celestial Church, wearing white garments just like other members that attended the Sunday service.
He said the gunmen numbering six came in a Hilux Van and that they did not open fire on Adetula until the sound of the jingling bell as the order of service requires members of the church to bow down three times to the sound of the bell as instructed by service conductor.
The source who witnessed the scene said contrary to reports that the killers used an axe to attack Adetula, they used the butt of their gun to batter Adetula’s face.
The source said that contrary to some media reports, Adetula was not killed while he was preaching on the pulpit.
“Baba’s (Adetula’s) killers disguised as members at the commencement of service.
“They came in a black Hilux van with security light and tinted glass.
“Nobody suspected that they were on a deadly mission because they appeared in white robes like other members.
“They claimed they came from Ilashe, one of the neighbouring communities in Ipokia Local Government.
“One of the gunmen knelt close to Baba Adetula when the service conductor sounded the bell and bowed his head twice to the sounding of the bell.
“The man waited till the bell was sounded the third time, got on his feet before Baba Adetula and brought out a double-barrel rifle hidden under his garment.
“He first hit Baba Adetula in the face with the butt of the gun and shot him directly in the face while other members of the gang shot at him from the back as Baba Adetula asked them why they wanted to kill him.
“They bludgeoned his face with the gun butt and continued to shoot at him.
“Other members of the gang were stationed outside and they warned members who wanted to rescue Baba Adetula to steer clear or be ready to lose their lives as well.
“An engineer handling music equipment in the church, named Korede, initially confronted one of the gunmen with blows and later jumped over the fence and ran for his life.
“The gunmen left in their Hilux van after ensuring that Adetula had died.’’
The eyewitness said members of the parish who had fled the church when the gunmen opened fire on Adetula returned to pick his teeth and expended bullets from the floor. The items were taken to the State General Hospital in Ilaro, where his mangled body was deposited in the morgue.
Another eyewitness described the assailants as young boys in their 30s, adding that they were hooded when it was time to execute their dastard mission.
The witness said: ‘’I came early to the church in my usual manner and met two of the gunmen in white garments outside.
“When the service began, we were singing the Yarah Sara hymn when three of the assailants dressed in the brother-ranked white robes of Celestial Church entered the parish.
“They did not appear suspicious at all because they were young boys.
“Baba Adetula even greeted two of them who stood outside on the premises and they returned the greeting.
“I thought the boys (gunmen) had come to worship with us, not knowing they were here for a deadly mission.
‘’Baba Adetula then asked me to take some fuel from the keg in the booth of his car to power the church’s generator.
“I was pouring the fuel into the generator at the back of the church building when pandemonium broke out inside the church after the gunmen opened fire on Baba (Adetula).
“While Baba Adetula tried to escape from his assailants, one of the gunmen stationed outside kicked him down and they rained bullets on him.
“By then, the gunmen had worn masks and we couldn’t see their faces anymore.
“Our music equipment engineer initially confronted the gunmen and tried to stop them. But he beat a retreat and fled after they pointed the gun at him and threatened to kill him.
“One of the gunmen stood with Baba Adetula and constantly used the butt of his gun to hit him while his colleagues shot at him at close range until Baba Adetula died in a pool of blood.
“So, Baba was not killed while he was preaching, because the Sunday service had barely started when the assassins entered the church disguised as worshippers.’’
“The gunmen did not attack or dismember Baba Adetula with an axe. Instead, it was their gun butt they used to bludgeon his face and head badly to the extent that it was difficult to recognise Baba after they finished him off with sporadic gunshots and left his mangled body in a pool of blood.’’
In a statement, Omolola Odutola, spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, said the gunmen also used an axe to hit the pastor’s head to confirm that he was dead.
“Police officers arrived quickly at the scene and discovered one Yomi Adetula, a 54-year-old man, lying face up in a pool of blood that stained his white celestial garment,” the statement reads.
“Upon closer inspection, his body was found to be riddled with bullets, and his head was severely damaged with an axe to confirm that he was indeed dead.
“During the police investigation, it was revealed that three men entered the church, brandished a long double-barreled gun, aimed at their target, and fired a shot that caused chaos, and the assailants escaped.
“Through police efforts, the body was transported to the General Hospital morgue in Ilaro.”
Odutola said no arrest had been made, adding that the command would ensure the arrest of the fleeing suspects.
Meanwhile, in a post on his Facebook page when the news of the tragic killing broke penultimate Sunday, an investigative journalist and Founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Fisayo Soyombo, claimed that the late Adetula was a witness to a suit between the FIJ and an Ogun-based businessman, Ibrahim Dende.
The post reads: “Adetula is one of the witnesses listed by FIJ Nigeria in its defence of the libel lawsuit filed by IBD Dende in response to FIJ’s undercover investigation and the subsequent documentary on smuggling, and the ‘Good Morning Nigeria Customs’ tweets by its founder,” Soyombo said.
Adetula’s killing has caused panic in the Idiroko community and its environs as outraged residents condemned the killing, asking police authorities to fish out the assailants and bring them to justice.
A resident and member of a parish of the Celestial Church of Christ in Idiroko, Wale Alao, demanded justice, saying: ‘’We are still in shock over the killing of Mr. Adetula who is a committed community leader and priest in charge of a Celestial Church of Christ in this town.
“Since last Sunday when the incident happened, many members of this community are yet to come to terms with the killing.
“Palpable fear has gripped the town and more importantly, worshippers at Adetula’s CCC Hebrew Cathedral are contemplating moving to other Celestial Church parishes as they are hunted by the trauma that comes with witnessing the killing of Adetula.
“The incident has signaled other churches to be more security conscious and not take every stranger as a worshipper with good intentions.
“Churches must put in place adequate security measures to safeguard the lives of worshippers.
“However, the only thing that can boost the confidence of residents is for security agencies to apprehend the culprits and prosecute them for justice.’’
Credit: TheNation
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