Cleric, wife, son, others arrested over death of Kwara student

The General Overseer of Christ Apostolic Church (Ogunse) in the Adeleke area of Offa, Kwara State, and his wife have been arrested in connection with the death of Mojisola Awesu, a student of the state’s College of Health Technology.

The distressed pastor, Adebayo Adeniyi, lamented, “My son has led me into this mess,” while his wife, Bukola, wept profusely. The couple were arrested by the police for allegedly tampering with evidence.

The Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, expressed disappointment in some youths and the community, stating that, aside from the couple, three others were apprehended for their involvement in the incident that occurred on August 9, 2024.

Describing the incident as regrettable, the police chief narrated that the Adeniyis, upon realising the crime committed by their son, removed and destroyed the deceased’s SIM card to avoid being traced.

Olaiya further stated that the trio of Adeoye Adeola, Lawal Aminat, and Bulus Peter, who were hotel staff, disposed of the corpse rather than reporting the case to the police.

The CP recalled that “on August 13, 2024, at about 1500 hours, the Offa Police Station received a report from Ogungbenro Blessing, a resident of the Gbomi Area, Offa, Kwara State. She reported that her roommate, Awesu Mojisola, a 21-year-old graduating student of Kwara State College of Health Technology, had gone missing under suspicious circumstances.”

“The incident occurred on August 9, 2024, when Awesu Mojisola received a phone call from Kolawole Timileyin, a student from the same institution. Timileyin relayed a message from Adebayo Joshua Happiness, an expelled final-year student of Summit University, Offa, Kwara State,” Olaiya explained.

Adebayo Joshua Happiness invited Mojisola to a supposed sign-out party at Whitefield Hotel, Ilorin, with a promise of N15,000. Mojisola accepted the invitation but later expressed discomfort and concern, stating there was no party and she was alone with Adebayo, who was smoking cannabis. Subsequently, her phone became unreachable.

Following an investigation, Adebayo Joshua was arrested for luring Mojisola to Ilorin under false pretenses. “Adebayo booked a hotel room with no intention of hosting a party and later booked another room as a cover-up,” the police stated.

“In the early hours of August 10, 2024, Adebayo murdered Mojisola, abandoned her body, and fled with her iPhone and N15,600. The stolen phone was later concealed in his hostel wardrobe,” Olaiya added.

Mr. and Mrs. Adeniyi were apprehended for attempting to tamper with evidence. Mrs. Adeniyi was found to have removed the SIM card from the deceased’s iPhone and concealed it. Contrary to Adebayo’s initial claim of discarding the phone in the Afelele River, both the iPhone and SIM card were recovered from his parents.

Olaiya stressed that the three hotel staff on duty unlawfully disposed of the corpse at a refuse dump, saying, “The suspects have been apprehended and charged with criminal conspiracy and causing the disappearance of evidence.”

Meanwhile, residents of the Adeleke area in Offa reported several cases of deaths, corpses, and disappearances involving students from the School of Health Technology.

Additionally, Olaiya revealed that on August 8, 2024, at about 2200 hours, one Anthony Kayode Balogun was murdered by suspected cult members in front of a hotel. Immediate action by the Anti-Cultism Tactical Team led to the arrest of Abolarin Samuel Idowu, a 37-year-old male, and a member of the notorious Eiye secret cult. He, along with his accomplices, was responsible for Balogun’s murder, allegedly in revenge for a 2022 cult anniversary incident.

The police chief confirmed that all suspects were in custody and assured the public of the command’s commitment to justice, peace, and security within the community.