Woman found dead inside well in Ondo church 

Sunday service was with mixed feelings in one of the Cherubim and Seraphim churches located at Ayedun Quarters in Akure, Ondo State, yesterday as a middle-aged woman, identified as Funke Ojo, was found dead inside a well at the church premises.

The people in the neighbourhood, who spoke with The Guardian, were taken aback by the sad incident and none could unravel the mystery leading to Ojo’s death.According to them, she did not have any past history of mental disorder. They said she departed her mother’s house for a church programme, while none of the church members took cognizance of her presence in the premises. 

“On Saturday night, she complained to her mother that she was having a slight malaria fever. So she later told her mother that she wanted to go to the church. The mother was even asking her to rest since she had malaria but she insisted on going to the church. 

“Nobody knew how she got into the well, it was somebody who wanted to fetch water in the well on Sunday morning that saw her lifeless body inside the well and raised the alarm to call the attention of residents,” a source said. 

Pastor of the church, Segun Oriade, was invited by the police for interrogation, while the youths in the area evacuated her remains from the well for burial. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident and arrest of the pastor, saying: “It happened early this morning (Sunday), the deceased was sick and her mother took her to the church for prayer and later she (the deceased) went home and came back to the church late in the evening on Saturday. 

“But they found her lifeless body inside the well on Sunday morning. Nobody can say anything about it for now but we have commenced investigation into the matter.”Though Joseph noted that the police was yet to know why and how the incident happened, he added that the pastor “will be helping us in our investigation.”