Two suspects, Sunday Whepetoji, a 51-year-old shepherd in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Ileri-Oluwa Parish in Ojo, and Sheriff Adebayo, have been remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Ikoyi, Lagos. They were arrested in connection with the murder of Adedamola Ogunbode, a graduate of Lagos State University (LASU), who went missing in January and was later found buried in a shallow grave.
The suspects were remanded after a Lagos magistrate’s court in Yaba ruled that their warrants for detention were not renewed. The police had sought an order to keep the suspects in custody as the investigation continued.
Ogunbode, a political science education graduate, went missing on January 16, 2025, after telling his girlfriend that he was going to the church at the invitation of the pastor. The investigation revealed that the suspects stole Ogunbode’s phone and transferred ₦1.8 million from his bank account. His body was exhumed last week by homicide detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, two months after he was reported missing.
The suspects allegedly buried Ogunbode’s body near the church. Adebayo, a church member, sent ₦70,000 from the stolen money to Whepetoji’s personal account. The victim had been in contact with his girlfriend shortly before he vanished, informing her of his location.
Following complaints from Ogunbode’s family, Whepetoji was arrested but initially denied knowing the victim. The case was treated as a missing persons investigation until the new Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Olohundare Jimoh, ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, which led to the identification of the murder.
Three other suspects, including 25-year-old Ajisomo Olaoluwatomi, who is being interrogated, were arrested in connection with the crime. Of the stolen money, ₦300,000 was transferred to Olaoluwatomi. Investigations continue, and three other suspects, including one identified as Teniola, remain at large.
