MICHAEL AKINOLA
A clergyman, Pastor Abiodun Sunday Oluwadare, popularly known as Araina, has been arrested by the Police in Ekiti State for allegedly killing his pregnant wife, Tosin Oluwadare, for ritual purposes.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened in Ido-Ile, Ekiti West LGA of Ekiti State, where they reside.
This was disclosed by the spokesman of the State Police Command, DSP Sunday Abutu, who confirmed the arrest and detention of the suspect in Police custody undergoing interrogation over his alleged conduct while aiding ongoing investigation.
According to the Police, the Pastor, Araina, strangled the wife, Tosin, to death for ritual purposes at about 9pm on 19th November, 2023. However, the suspect was caught with the corpse on his way out of the town to go and evacuate the foetus from her womb without her parents approval.
Araina ran out of luck after he was stopped at Ita-Ido and from there he was taken to the Police post in Ido-Ile and later to Ekiti West District Police and later transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Command.
The suspect, Pastor Oluwadare, was formerly a herbalist before he claimed to have repented, was ordained as a Pastor and posted to Christ Apostolic Church in Ori-Oke, Ido Mountain, Ekiti West. But he was once expelled for allegedly kidnapping a child.
The step-brother of the deceased, Mr. Samuel Ibironke, also confirmed the incident.
“After killing my sister, he called my wife, who is a health worker, to come and assist him, only for my wife to get there and discover that he strangled my sister to death,” Samuel explained.
The traditional ruler of the community, Oba Aderemi Obaleye, condemned the killing of the woman.
Oba Obaleye said, “It is a very sad development, which nearly set the town on fire because the youths went on rampage in protest against the so-called pastor”.
“I want the authorities to investigate the matter and bring the culprit to book so as to serve as a deterrent to others.”
The suspect risks several years of imprisonment or life imprisonment if convicted for the alleged murder but that will be after the conclusion of investigation by the Police.