THE Ogun State Police Command has arrested two founders of a Christian fellowship, Chidi Samuel and Paul Zakari for allegedly burying a female member who died during a prayer retreat.
This information was disclosed by the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, who informed members of the press that Samuel and Zakari had taken seven youths with them to an isolated area in Oyan Village for an alleged Bible study and fellowship session.
The deceased, 20-year-old Okumazor Favour was among the youths who attended the supposed Bible study and fellowship program.
According to reports, before her death, Favour was sick without her parents being aware and the suspects had refused to let the deceased go home even though she was extremely sick, then conniving to bury her in a shallow grave, after her death, without her parents’ consent.
The commissioner said, “While in the isolated area, one of the youths, whose parents have reported missing at Ibafo police station, fell sick and later died. The suspects, who refused to let the girl go when she fell sick, secretly buried her in a shallow grave within the village.”
He stated further that it was one of the youths who escaped from the event that informed the deceased parents of her death, hence the arrest of the suspects.
During an interview with members of the press, 32-year-old Samuel narrated his side of the story; “I’m from Abia State but living at Alamo, Magboro. I am a pastor at Lifebuilders Network. It is a ministry not a church, and it’s about youth programme, evangelism and Bible study.
“In October 2021, we went for a programme at Oyan Village in Imala town to engage in Bible study and prayer. The journey was supposed to last for six months.
We had done about four months when we got sick. We managed ourselves but one of the girls we came with got so bad; with the little money we had, we took her to hospital but she died.”
He stated that the nurse who treated her said the deceased suffered from typhoid, malaria, and anemia.
When asked if the parents were aware of the program he replied in the affirmative. However, he admitted that they did not call her parents when she was sick and also after she died.
