Ondo Police arrests Pastor over alleged rape, murder of church member

Police in Ondo state have arrested a 37-year-old Pastor, Kayode Salami, for allegedly raping and killing a church member, Adejoke Oloje.

The deceased was said to have followed her cousin to worship at the Church known as Oke-Irapada Church and decided to be staying in the Church with her 11-month-old baby where she met her untimely.

Speaking on the death of Adejoke, her mother, Deborah Olojo, explained that her daughter visited her in Idanre but suddenly left the house without notice but only got to know her whereabouts some days later.

She said, “I called her to ask about her whereabouts, but she didn’t pick her calls, but some people told me they saw her in Alade with her cousin, Aderonke. I called Ronke who told me she was staying in the church, not her place.

“I had to trace her to the church where I eventually found her. She complained about foodstuffs and I promised to bring some for her the following day and pleaded with her to leave the place, but she declined.

“The next day, when I got to the church around 5pm, I saw her baby crying and when I moved close to see what was happening, I saw the door closed. So, I forced it open only to see my daughter on the floor, with her pant already removed and I shouted for help.”

She said her daughter was confirmed dead at the hospital and said the incident was immediately reported at the police station in Idanre while the policemen arrested the pastor.

According to her, “when the pastor was arrested, we noticed that his trouser was torn  and he wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“It is a painful story and a sad moment for our family. She was with an 11-month-old child before she met her untimely death. The culprit must not go unpunished,” she pleaded.”

But the Pastor, Salami denied knowing the cause of the victim’s death and said “I knew Adejoke through her sister, Aderonke. They came to my church to worship and they went home and came back the second day seeking for accommodation pending the time she will secure a place.

“I gave her one room out of the two rooms in the church and also gave her a small gas cooker we use in the church to cook.

“There is only one door linking my room and the room I gave her to stay in. So, I used to pass through her room and I always inform her whenever I want to pass through the room.

He said further “We held a vigil the day before and I left for work in the morning because I am a welder. She came to my place of work to charge her phone around 2pm and came to collect it around 4 pm.”

Speaking on the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Funmi Odunlami, the Pastor had been arrested and the case has been transferred to Akure for further investigation.