The Ondo State Police Command has launched an investigation into the death of a senior member of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Elder Omotayo Fajana, whose body was found in a hotel room in Akungba-Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Government Area of the state.
Three individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident and are currently assisting detectives with ongoing investigations, according to the police.
Fajana, aged 71, had travelled to Akungba-Akoko to attend a church programme at Ogo Orimolade Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Okerigbo, where he was expected to be installed as the Head Prayer Warrior Father, popularly known as Baba Aladura.
Confirming the development on Monday, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said the command had commenced a detailed inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the cleric’s death.
Jimoh explained that the matter was reported at the Akungba Police Division on Saturday by Mr Olaseni Sunday Olaoluwa, a resident of Shijuwade Road, Akure, who identified the deceased as his uncle.
According to the police spokesperson, the complainant informed officers that Fajana had travelled to Akungba-Akoko for the church event where he was to be crowned as the Head Baba Aladura of a faction of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church.
“The command has commenced a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a 71-year-old church leader, Mr Omotayo Ezekiel Fajana, whose body was discovered under suspicious circumstances in Akungba-Akoko,” Jimoh said.
He disclosed that detectives are working to establish the actual cause of death and determine whether any criminal activity contributed to the incident.
The police also expressed concern over the handling of the deceased’s remains after his death.
Preliminary findings, according to Jimoh, revealed that some individuals, including church officials and hotel staff, allegedly moved Fajana’s body from the hotel room to a mortuary in Ikare-Akoko without first obtaining certification of death from a qualified medical practitioner.
Investigators are now examining the circumstances surrounding that decision as part of the wider probe.
“In the course of the investigation, three suspects have been arrested and are currently in police custody, assisting with inquiries. Detectives have commenced efforts to establish the actual cause of death and determine whether any criminal acts were involved,” the police spokesperson stated.
Jimoh said the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, Felix Ohagwu, ordered a comprehensive and discreet investigation, assuring the public that the command would thoroughly probe the matter and ensure that anyone found culpable faces prosecution in accordance with the law.
“The Commissioner of Police assures members of the public that the command will leave no stone unturned in uncovering the facts surrounding the incident and that anyone found culpable will be prosecuted in accordance with the law,” he added.
The police have appealed to residents and members of the public to remain calm and allow investigators to complete their work as efforts continue to determine the exact circumstances that led to the cleric’s death.
