Labourers Kill Pastor In Ondo

A pastor, Dada Itopa has been killed on his farm in Ipele in the Owo council area of Ondo state.

A labourer, Muhammed Musa, who was apprehended by police detectives in the state, hacked the pastor to death with a cutlass.

He equally injured the victim’s wife, Bose Dada, after they engaged the service and one other labourer now at large to clear his farm.

The suspect and the other labourer reportedly turned against the couple after the concluded negotiation on the work to be done in the farm.

It was gathered that the 45-year-old victim, hired the labourers from Kogi state, and they agreed to clear the weeds on the pastor’s farm for N11,000.

But, the unexpected reportedly happened when Musa pleaded with the pastor to give his cutlass to them to do the clearing because it was sharper than theirs.

Not knowing the intentions of the labourer, the pastor, reportedly handed over the cutlass to the suspect, who in turn, pounced on him and hacked him to death in the presence of his wife.

The victim’s wife reportedly escaped with several degrees of injuries and is presently on admission to the Federal Medical Centre FMC, hospital, in Owo.

Vanguard learnt that the suspect (Musa), was arrested by the police after the incident was reported at the Ipele police station while Omatai ran away from the town.

He reportedly confessed that they carried out the killing of the Pastor to severe his head and deliver it to a herbalist in the town who demanded a fresh head.

In an interview, Musa said that ” I only macheted the wife while trying to run away but it was my oga who macheted the Pastor. We pretended to agree to work on the Pastor’s farm not knowing that the wife will follow us to the farm.

“I am from Kogi state and I help people to do farm work before Omatai introduced me to the business. The herbalist and Omatai have been on the run since the incident happened”

Speaking on the arrest, the state police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, said the 30-year-old Musa, was arrested for hacking a farmer, Dada Itopa to death at Ebira camp, off Ipele, in Owo council area of the state.

Odunlami explained that “On the 7th of August, 2023 at about 0800hrs, One Dada Itopa ‘M’ aged 45 years old Pastor and his wife Dada Bose went to their farmland at Ebira camp Ipele in company of two labourers, Mohammed Musa ‘M’ aged 30years and Omatai ‘m’ who is now at large to help them clear weeds on their farmland and a sum of N11,000 was agreed upon for workmanship.

“In the process, Omatai requested for a cutlass from Dada Itopa under the pretence that he wanted to use it to work on the farm but hacked Dada to death.

“The victim’s wife, who tried crying for help to prevent him from escaping was also macheted on the head by Mohammed Musa, and the victim is currently at the Hospital.

Odunlami added that “In the course of the investigation, Mohammed Musa confessed that they carried out the attack because they needed to deliver a human head to a herbalist who requested it in Ipele.