A pastor in charge of Celestial Church of Christ in Osun State, Nigeria, has allegedly been murdered inside his church by a suspect identified as Lekan Ogundipe- his assistant pastor.
The partially burnt remains of Pastor Moris Fadehan were reportedly ‘discovered’ by Ogundipe, who raised the alarm about a fire consuming him.
According to reports, after he had killed the pastor, Ogundipe fled to the residence of the church's founder, informing him of a fire engulfing the pastor's body. However, upon closer inspection by a resident who arrived at the scene, bloodstains on Ogundipe's attire raised suspicions.
This led to the involvement of law enforcement, resulting in his arrest.
The motive behind the murder remains unclear, but sources suggest a possible dispute between Ogundipe and Fadehan. It is speculated that tensions escalated after Fadehan confiscated the church keys from Ogundipe, following an altercation with a prophetess. The confrontation between the two escalated further on Sunday, nearly disrupting the church service.
"The assault on the prophetess occurred last week on Wednesday. The prophetess was in the church, and Ogundipe came around and met her. They had a disagreement. He eventually assaulted the woman. He bit her, and that got the shepherd (Pastor Fadehan) angry," explained a source close to the deceased pastor.
"(Pastor Fadehan) took the church keys from him. This past Sunday, there was a crisis in the church that almost disrupted the service’’ the source continued.
Allegedly, the fatal encounter occurred when Fadehan was praying at the church altar and was suddenly attacked by Ogundipe. A struggle ensued, during which Ogundipe allegedly struck Fadehan in the face with a screwdriver, resulting in the pastor's demise.
In an attempt to conceal the crime, Ogundipe set fire to Fadehan's body near a generator.
Osun Police Command's Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the incident, stating that investigations were underway. "At about 10:15 am on Monday, one Moris Fadehan, aged 65 years, of Grace of Comfort Oke Odo, Omitoto, Ile-Ife, was killed by one Lekan, who is also a member of the church," Opalola reported. "Upon arrival, his body was found in a pool of blood. Marks of violence were also discovered on the body of the deceased.
"The suspect was arrested at the scene of the crime. Remains of the deceased were deposited at the OAUTHC morgue for autopsy."