One 45 years old Pastor Ejiro Ologonla of Celestial Church has been arrested by the police in connection with the disappearance of a 29 years old man, Olatunfe Anthony Oluwafemi.
The pastor is said to be from Delta State but based in Lagos.
He was said to be the last contact with the missing man.
The pastor was alleged to have sold the phone of the missing man and also converted the money found in his pocket for his personal use.
The spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Bala Elkana, who made the case known in a statement issued on Sunday said the pastor would soon be charged to court.
The statement by the police reads:
On 20/12/2019 at about 1030hrs, Police received a complaint that on the 12/12/2019 at about 1400hrs, one Olatunfe Anthony Oluwafemi ‘m’ 29 years old No 27 Owode Street, Alapere Ketu who was sent on an errand to Ilupeju has not returned and his whereabouts remained unknown.
All efforts made by his family members to trace him were unsuccessful.
The Itel phone of the missing person was electronically analysed by Police forensic experts and that led to the arrest of the user of the phone, one Monsurat Gbadegeshin ‘f’ 23 years old.
In her statement, she said her fiancé, Abiodun Abiola gave her the phone.
That led the operatives to apprehend the said Abiodun Abiola ‘m’ 30 year old.
During questioning, Abiodun said one Tolu Olurotimi ‘m’ 20 years old sold the phone to him, thereby leading the operatives to him.
Tolu Rotimi said he bought the phone from one Pastor Ejiro Ologonla ‘m’ 45 years old, a Celestial Church Pastor from Delta State but based in Lagos.
During questioning, Pastor Ejiro Olagonla said he was at Oniru beach for spiritual cleansing on that fateful day, when he met the missing Olatunfe Anthony Oluwafemi.
He stated that while he was at the beach, the missing person who appeared drunk, came in and started chasing people around.
At a point he saw him climbing a fisherman boat.
Later he saw the missing person pulling his clothes, shoes, dropped his phones and jumped into the sea.
He claimed that he informed the security men on guard duty at the beach and also called a Police officer as well as one princess Arike Oniru on phone to intimate them of the incident.
That he finally picked up the victims clothes, shoes and phone and sold the phone to one Tolu Olurotimi for one thousand five hundred naira only.
The Oniru beach security guards, the fishermen, the princess and other witnesses mentioned were invited for questioning.
The fisherman stated that on that fateful day, the missing person came to the beach behaving as if he was drunk.
That as he paddled the canoe to the sea, he was alerted that the man was hanging on the canoe.
He brought him back and promised to give him fish.
But when he came back the following day he did not see the man again.
The Princess confirmed that the pastor called her to inform her that somebody jumped into the sea and she advised him to report the incident to the nearest police station.
The security guards on duty at the beach denied receiving a report of somebody jumping into the sea.
The clothes and shoes of the missing person were found in possession of the pastor.
It is established that the missing person was actually at Oniru beach before his disappearance.
The pastor was the last person that had contact with the missing person.
It is not yet established whether the missing person is dead or still alive, but circumstantial evidences gathered so far, are strongly pointing towards the pastor.
The pastor did not just sell the phone belonging to the missing person, he also converted the money he found in the trouser of the missing person to his own use.
There is no record showing that the pastor reported the incident to any police station.
The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, CID, Yaba, for further investigation and diligent prosecution.
