NEWS UPDATE: Wife of pastor slain by herdsmen in Ogbomoso identifies killer of husband
Khalid ABRAHAM
Wife of the pastor slain Monday by suspected Fulani herdsmen at Gege area, an outskirts of Ogbomoso, along Iseyin road, Evangelist Segun Adegboyega, has allegedly identified the killer.
According to a family source the killer was identified Friday in police custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department Iyaganku, Ibadan.
Advertisement
The source also informed police officers from Iyaganku where the suspects are being held visited the crime scene in Ogbomoso Thursday during which the wife and a child who witnessed the killing were summoned to come to Ibadan.
The source which spoke with ogbomosoinsightonline.com said the wife and the child accompanied by some family members and friends were at Ibadan to answer the summon Friday morning to formally report the matter and identify the killer from among the four in custody.
“The four suspects were shown to her and she was able to point at the Fulani herdsman who allegedly struck his husband with the dagger.”
Asked if the prime suspect – the one identified by the wife and the child – is the one picked at Ogbomoso High School area while the original three suspects were being transferred to Ibadan Tuesday, the source responded in the affirmative asserting, “He’s indeed the one who thrust the fatal blow.”
The wife was able to identify him because “she was an eyewitness. She informed another of the suspects was nearby watching what was happening.”
Advertisement
Meanwhile, the police have urged the family to ensure an autopsy is conducted on the corpse prior the commencement of prosecution of the suspects. The family is however in a bind as to how to raise money for the autopsy, it is learnt.
ogbomosoinsightonline.com reports the slaughter of the clergyman Monday followed by the report of the transfer of the suspects to Ibadan for investigations. A drama however ensued along the way. At Ogbomoso High School area, as the police vehicle drove by, the three suspects allegedly pointed at a lone Fulani man walking by the roadside and identified as the “real killer,” and he was promptly arrested.
It is recalled that the owner of the herd who was said not to be part of the herders was also arrested by the residents of Gege, who launched a manhunt for the culprits immediately after the dastardly incident leading to their arrests.
The Soun of Ogbomoso Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye who addressed the people after the suspects were taken to his palace Monday assured that proper investigations would be conducted by the police and justice served without prejudice or perversion.
My condolences go to the families of the deseased Pastor. Our people should know that there is brute animal instinct in average Fulani man, especially when he perceived a seemingly threat to his animals survival. Regardless of the numbers of years you may been living in the same community the Fulani, when there is a conflict involving their herds, they prefer to take life in order to protect their interest in the animals.
Some of them are hirelings, and it’s disheartening to note that the real owners of the herds are our own people. The indigenous cattle owners should be compelled by government to ranch their cattle. I think there is an extant law that banned open grazing. This law should be enforced and given a bite.