There was panic at Matogun, in the Lambe area of Ogun State on Tuesday after the police recovered corpses of two missing pupils from a church in the community, Christ Crusaders’ Deliverance Ministry.
The deceased – six-year-old Isaac Ayegbo, a primary 2 pupil, and Ayomide Innocent, 4, who was in Nursery 1 – were reportedly found inside the church’s vehicle after they were declared missing on Sunday.
The deceased’s parents are neigbours.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Ayomide’s mother, while travelling to the Republic of Benin on Friday, brought him to Isaac’s mother to look after him.
The children, after taking their lunch on Sunday, were playing outside Ayegbos’ residence, which was opposite the church, when they went missing.
Isaac’s father, Abiodun Ayegbo, was said to have reported the duo’s disappearance at the Agbado Police Division on the same day, but he was told to come back after 24 hours, which he did.
He said, “Ayomide was my friend’s son and he was brought to my wife when his mother travelled.
“She did not take him along because of his school because she would spend about six months there. They (Isaac and Ayomide) came back with my wife from church on Sunday and she gave them food.
“After eating, they went playing around the house. It was my grandmother who raised the alarm when she did not see them. I was told on the telephone to come home when they could not be found.
“I was called this morning (Tuesday) from the station and on getting there, the policemen took me to Christ Crusaders’ Deliverance Ministry, where their corpses were recovered.”
Punch learnt that an angry mob would have set the church ablaze, but for the intervention of armed policemen deployed in the area.
Abiodun’s brother, Kunle Ayegbo, said he found the slippers Isaac wore on the day he went missing inside a car on the church premises, adding that about eight pairs of sandals were also found inside a bus, where their corpses were recovered.
He said the discovery made him sense that something had gone amiss and urged the police to thoroughly investigate the matter to unravel those responsible for the dastardly act.
“The police initially wanted to change the fact that the children were found dead on the church premises, but we stood our grounds. I took some pictures in the church but we were not allowed to take the picture of the children. I found Isaac’s slippers inside a car and about eight other sandals in a bus. I suspect foul play and want this case to be properly investigated and the culprits brought to book.
“Some boys in the community nearly set the church on fire. The policemen and I had to calm them down. We want justice on this matter,” he said.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Ayomide’s father, Nouanti Innocent, passed out when the news of his son’s death was broken to him and he had yet to regain consciousness as of Tuesday evening. His wife had yet to be informed of the incident.
A pastor at the headquarters of the church in the Akute area of the state, Mr. Yemi Adebisi, who spoke on behalf of the church, said the incident was still a mystery as there were guards manning the premises around the clock.
He said the remains of the children were discovered by some members of the church who wanted to sleep inside the bus before the commencement of a vigil.
He said, “The corpses were discovered around 11pm when some church members wanted to sleep inside the bus. We are having a five-day vigil. They alerted the pastor and he called me immediately. We have reported the matter to the police. The vehicle where the corpses were found belongs to the church and it has been out of order for years. People usually sleep inside it.
“There are guards who man the place all day and all night. I can’t understand the mystery surrounding it. It was a strange occurrence and it has destabilised everybody. It is a major challenge to the church.”
The Ogun State Police spokesperson, DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said the pastor of the church, Babatunde Olakunle, and a church worker, Adewale Babalola, had been arrested.
He said, “We recovered two corpses on the church premises and had been deposited in a mortuary for autopsy.
“We have commenced our investigation. The pastor of the church and a church worker were arrested.”
*They should arrest the security guards at the gate,they must know something since they are there 24hours!...This is horrible!!!
Deep complex n strange world.
ReplyDelete728 comment 2016
Those kids were planted there to implicate the church. Imagine only the boy left by his mom died, the host mother would have been in serious trouble. This is sad.
DeleteThis is sad... God help us
ReplyDeleteWickedness in the highest order.
ReplyDeleteRIP
Nawa oo
ReplyDeleteWonder why she wld leave her kids and travel for 6months...
ReplyDeleteSome parents sef!
Rip to the kids.
Eyeneka, Go back and read the story well.
DeleteOMG
ReplyDeleteOh dear, what is going on?
ReplyDeleteMaybe they were killed by someone else nd dumped in d church bus, might not ha e anything to do with d pastor
ReplyDeleteI think so too. Quite unfortunate
DeleteMaybe they were killed by someone else nd dumped in d church bus, might not ha e anything to do with d pastor
ReplyDeleteNa wa
ReplyDeleteRIP to them
Hmmm..do an autopsy first!
ReplyDeleteJeez! Omg!
How can one console their parents?
ReplyDeleteHoww?????
This is too much. Do anything unthinkable to me,but please not kids,not my kids. Chai!
I hope you haven't committed abortion then come here to pretend you love kids.
DeleteI have committed.
DeleteInfact I hate kids.
I don't even have kids.
LOL
Any other problem?
what a sad story. The security guards should be interrogated . I imagine what the parents will be going through now.God will vindicate the Church.Rip to the kids.
ReplyDeleteWhat a pity,Rip Boys
ReplyDeleteJeez, Lord hv mercy. Protect our children dear lord. Oluwa ooo
ReplyDeleteDear Lord!
ReplyDeleteInnocent poor Kids.Chai.
It shall not be well with some people oooo
Very horrible
ReplyDeleteOMG!!!
ReplyDeleteDis is heartbreaking, only God knows what happened to d kids.
RIP to them.
Very sad! Rip Lil ones. Ur killers shall not know 'good sleep' until dey confess&face justice. Amen
ReplyDeleteSo sad may their gentle soul RIP
ReplyDeleteNawa oooo
ReplyDeleteI just can't deal.this is sad
ReplyDeleteOh my God , this is so sad
ReplyDeleteRip little angels
Painful. I hope they resolved this mystery and not try to put the church in problem. Am sure they must have entered the bus and could not come out of it.
ReplyDeleteI pray God give the families the fortitude to bear the loss. Amen
This is some bad news. Ee dey pain me bad. Oh God, oh God expose those who took away the lives of these children. Oh God arise oo, show forth thyself baba on behalf of these innocent kids.
ReplyDeletePastor /Church don use them for rituals to have spiritual powers. 4 day vigil indeed.
Hmnnnnn! So mysterious.
ReplyDeleteStrange..
ReplyDeleteGod have mercy..
That woman who was supposed to watch over her friend's child now has to deal with d loss of her own child, then d guilt of another woman's child dying in your care. Poor her!
ReplyDeleteThis is saddening. RIP kids
ReplyDeleteThe queen of this blog, you dey queue for fuel or what. I have not seen your comments ooo.
ReplyDeleteAbi heat too much for your okota?
The heart of men is desperately and despicably wicked. Gosh, dese two innocent souls wasted lyk d@. O Lord let dia killers be found n punished.
ReplyDeleteI think the enemies of the church are at work.
ReplyDeleteRIP to the kids though.
What if they were trapped inside the bus and couldn't come out. Then they suffocated inside. It's very plausible.
ReplyDeleteI hate this kind of news.
ReplyDeleteMay God console the parents. Before the church is accused, is it possible the children locked themselves in the car and suffocated?
ReplyDeleteThis is really heartbreaking.I wonder why a woman will leave her kid with a neighbor and travel for 6months.To do what???
ReplyDeleteMay God grant the little ones eternal rest.So much wickedness and bloodshed in the land.