By Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Gunmen suspected to be assassins stormed a Celestial Church on Sunday morning and shot dead the Shepherd-in-charge of the church located in Idiroko, Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State, while he was preaching.
The deceased, identified as Yomi Adetula, was killed around 11 a.m., TheSun.ng has learnt.
An eyewitness at the scene of the incident informed our correspondent that Adetula’s assailants, six in number, were armed with AK-47 rifles.
The eyewitness further disclosed that the gunmen, dressed in Celestial Church white garments, stormed the Hebrew Celestial Church located in the Odo Eran area of Old Baggage Road in Idiroko and rained bullets on Adetula.
The assailants reportedly lingered after the shooting to confirm that their victim was dead before fleeing the scene.
It was gathered that the deceased was the Idiroko Unit Commander of the Ogun State Community, Social Orientation and Safety Corps (So-SAFE Corps), a community security outfit established and funded by the Ogun State government.
While the motive behind the cleric’s assassination could not be determined at the time of filing this report, TheSun.ng learnt that Adetula had, over the past few months, been embroiled in running battles with a smuggling cartel in Idiroko, which prompted his relocation to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in December 2024.
A source within the church in Idiroko also revealed that the situation led to the forced closure of Adetula’s church in December 2024, allegedly by some suspected smugglers with whom he had issues.
The State Commander of the So-SAFE Corps, Soji Ganzalo, confirmed the incident, expressing shock and disbelief at the news of Adetula’s assassination.
Ganzalo vowed that the So-SAFE Corps would ensure the matter is thoroughly investigated. He also promised to assist the appropriate security agencies with the necessary information to apprehend the suspected assassins.
