A well-known pastor, Adebayo Adeniyi (51), also known as Prophet Ogunse, along with his wife Bukola Adeniyi (49), and a 24-year-old suspect, Timileyin Kolawole, have been remanded in prison by a court in Kwara State. The three are facing murder charges following an investigation by the Nigerian police.
The pastor’s son, a final-year student at Summit University, Offa, and another suspect were also arraigned in court on Tuesday at the Kwara State Chief Magistrate Court in Ilorin. They stand accused of the murder of Awesu Mojisola, a 21-year-old graduate from the Kwara State College of Health Technology.
According to reports, the tragic incident occurred on August 10, 2024, in a room at Whitefield Hotel, Ilorin. The primary suspect, Adebayo Happiness, is alleged to have lured Mojisola to a post-graduation party that turned out to be a deadly trap. Mojisola was reportedly murdered in the hotel room by Happiness.
The four accused individuals are facing multiple charges, including criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, theft, false personation, and the disappearance of evidence, all of which are violations under various sections of the Penal Code Law. Additionally, they face charges related to computer fraud under the Cybercrime Prevention and Prohibition Law of 2015.
ASP Isaac Yakub, who is leading the prosecution, told the court that on August 14, 2024, Blessing Ogungbenro reported her roommate, Awesu Mojisola, missing at the Offa Police Station. Ogungbenro stated that Mojisola had received a call from Kolawole Timileyin, who invited her to join Adebayo Joshua Happiness at his sign-out party at the Whitefield Hotel in Ilorin, with a promised payment of N15,000.
Ogungbenro added that Mojisola accepted the offer and left Offa to meet Happiness in Ilorin. However, Mojisola later expressed discomfort as Happiness was smoking hemp in the hotel room. Soon after, Mojisola’s phone became unreachable, and her whereabouts were unknown. Police quickly arrested Happiness after linking him to her sudden disappearance.
Further investigation revealed that Happiness had deliberately lured Mojisola to Ilorin under the pretense of attending a joint sign-out party for students of Summit and Al-Hikma Universities. The event turned out to be a sham, and in the early hours of August 10, 2024, Happiness allegedly killed Mojisola, left her body in the hotel room, and fled with her iPhone 11 Pro and a sum of N15,600 to Offa.
During a discreet investigation, Happiness reportedly confessed to luring Mojisola with false intentions. He allegedly admitted to killing her, abandoning her body in the locked hotel room, and fleeing with her belongings back to Offa. The prosecution also informed the court that Happiness’ mother, Bukola Adeniyi, later helped him dispose of the SIM card from Mojisola’s phone by hiding it in a fence block far from their home. Additionally, Happiness’ father concealed the stolen iPhone in a family car parked within their compound.
The court did not take the suspects’ pleas. The defense counsel, Mr. A. Iwalaye, requested bail for all the suspects, assuring the court that they would not flee and would attend all proceedings regularly. He also stated that they were ready to provide reliable sureties.
However, the prosecutor opposed the bail request, citing the gravity of the case, which involved the criminal termination of a human life. Chief Magistrate Mr. Wahab Saka ordered the suspects to be remanded at the Federal Correctional Centre in Oke Kura, Ilorin. The case was adjourned until September 12, 2024, for further hearing.
For more updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VabITrvEAKW7DSkTfP.