A cleric identified as Rev’d Johnson Oladimeji has been reportedly killed by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen along Igbara-Odo- Ikere-Ekiti road in Ekiti state on Friday, November 27.
WITHIN NIGERIA learnt that Oladimeji was murdered beside the Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science, and Technology in the town.
It was further learnt that the gunmen who were hiding in the forest along the road waylaid his vehicle and shot sporadically at it in an attempt to stop the driver. Some of the bullets hit Johnson.
Speaking on the sad development, a source close to the deceased who spoke on condition of anonymity said the family members had launched a search for the pastor before his body was found in a pool of his blood in his car with gunshot wounds.
“The man was returning from Osun state on Thursday evening and decided to make use of the Igbara-Odo route to Ikere-Ekiti when he was ambushed and shot dead by gunmen in the evening.
After series of calls to his phone numbers with no response, members of the church decided to start searching for him and he was found dead this evening (Friday) in his car along the road close to the University of Education and Technology in Ikere-Ekiti.”
The source explained the incident was reported at the Igbara-Odo police station before his corpse was evacuated to the morgue.
President of Ekiti Baptist Church, Rev’d Adeyinka Aribasoye confirmed the incident.
Aribasoye said the deceased was killed while returning from Ipetu-Ijesha in Osun.
”The incident is synonymous to a kidnapping case that went wrong, maybe he refused to stop for the abductors thus making them open fire on him.
“The family was already expecting him but when they found out that he was taking too late they began to make series of contacts and search before they found out that he had been killed on the road.”Aribasoye said
The state police command is yet to comment on the incident.
