A pastor from the Celestial Church of Christ, CCC ILERI OLUWA PARISH, LASU 2, named Sup. Evang. Whepetoji Babaniyeh, has been apprehended in connection with the murder of Ogubode Quadri Adedamola. Reports from a Facebook page dedicated to news within the Christian community indicate that Adedamola had been reported missing since January 16 2025.

His disappearance was traced back to the church, largely due to the efforts of his grieving girlfriend, who revealed that the 28-year-old Political Science graduate from Lagos State University and CEO of Horlar Edu Consultancy had last been seen near the church. Following the crime, Babaniyeh allegedly buried Adedamola’s body close to the church grounds, with the police later discovering the weapons, a gun and an axe used in the murder. Initially, the pastor denied any knowledge of Adedamola’s whereabout, but he changed his story after being confronted with evidence of a N1.5 million withdrawal from the victim’s bank account.

According to the girlfriend, she had spoken to Adedamola on the day he went missing, and he mentioned he was in front of the church, promising to call back later. When police followed up on her account, Babaniyeh denied having seen Adedamola that day or knowing anything about his disappearance. However, as the investigation progressed, authorities obtained his bank statements, revealing that N1.5 million had been transferred from Adedamola’s account on the day he vanished.

A portion of this money was traced to Babaniyeh’s account, as well as to his daughter’s. Initially, the pastor claimed he had not received the funds, but later stated it was for a Thanksgiving celebration when presented with evidence, leading to his detention for further questioning. It has now been confirmed that Adedamola’s body was found buried near the church, with the pastor overseeing the burial. The police also recovered the gun and axe from Babaniyeh.