Pastor arrested over disappearance of 29-year-old man
Ologonla
The Lagos State police command has arrested a 45-year-old pastor, Ejiro Ologonla, in Ejigbo area of the state over the alleged disappearance of one Olatunfe Oluwafemi. According to the command’s spokesperson, DSP Bala Elkana, the police received a complaint on February 20 that one 29-year-old Oluwafemi was missing.
According to the statement, the missing resident of Alapere Ketu was sent on an errand to Ilupeju and he has not returned while his whereabouts have 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.
“In her statement, she said her fiancé, Abiodun Abiola, gave her the phone. That led the operatives to apprehend the said Abiodun Abiola. During questioning, Abiodun said one Tolu Olurotimi sold the phone to him, thereby leading the operatives to him. Tolu Rotimi said he bought the phone from Pastor Ejiro Ologonla,” Elkana said.
Pastor Ologonla during interrogation 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 was climbing a fisherman’s 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. He also claimed he picked up the victim’s clothes, shoes, and phone and sold the phone to one Tolu Olurotimi for N1,500.
The police spokesman revealed that the Oniru beach security guards, the fishermen, the princess and other witnesses mentioned were invited for questioning and the fishermen stated that on the fateful day, the missing person came to the beach behaving as if he was drunk. He paddled a canoe to the sea, but when alerted that the man was hanging on the canoe, he was brought out and didn’t see the man again after a while.
“The princess also 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 however denied receiving a report of somebody jumping into the sea,” he added.
Elkana also revealed that 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”.
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