Pastor arrested for burying human parts in church

A sixty-seven-yea-old pastor, Samuel Babatunde, in Ota, Ogun State has been arrested by policemen following the discovery of human parts buried in his church. He was arrested with three other suspects.

Babatunde is the founder of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Itedo Isinmi Ayo Parish, Egan Road in Iyana-Iyesi area of Ota.The state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, who paraded the cleric yesterday in Ota, told reporters that the discovery followed the arrest on Saturday, of a suspected serial kidnapper, Jeremiah Adeola.

He said Adeola, 32, specialised in kidnapping children and had already confessed that Babatunde was the receiver of his victims.The police boss added that a 43-year-old herbalist, Haruna Afolabi, was among the suspects, who allegedly buried the human parts at the entrance of the church, adding that the suspects arrest were based on intelligence report received by operatives attached to the police Area Command in Ota on Sunday.

Iliyasu said: “The floor of the church was dug as described by the first suspect, and parts suspected strongly to be human parts were dug out from there. We will conduct a forensic investigation into the case and all those found guilty of the crime would be brought to justice.”

Speaking to journalists, the arrested pastor denied the allegation, saying it was rather a pig that was buried alive in the church but not human parts.He explained that he carried out the act in order to bring good fortune, prosperity and comfort to the congregation of the church, and expressed regret over the incident, which he blamed on the devil.

Babatunde said though he met Adeola at a prayer mountain in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, he never had any ritualist dealings with him. Adeola, however, insisted that the pastor was the receiver of some kidnapped children, saying the cleric paid him N50,000 each for the two children he supplied to him.

The suspect said one Olaniyi, still at large, introduced him to the business of kidnapping in 2013 in Ibadan, where they often kidnap their victims through a commercial vehicle.