Prominent Ondo Church Elder Found Dead in Hotel Hours Before Installation; Three Arrested

Residents of Akungba-Akoko in Ondo State are in shock after the discovery of Elder Omotayo Ezekiel Fajana, 71, dead in a hotel room. The prominent elder of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church was found just hours before his planned installation as Head Prayer Warrior Father of a church faction.

The incident has triggered a police investigation, with three individuals already arrested. Fajana had traveled to Akungba-Akoko for a church program at Ogo Orimolade C&S Church, where the installation ceremony was set to take place. However, the event turned tragic when his body was found in a hotel under suspicious circumstances.

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preliminary investigations had raised concerns about the handling of the deceased’s body after his death.

The Ondo State Police Command confirmed the development, with spokesperson DSP Abayomi Jimoh noting that preliminary investigations raised concerns about the handling of the deceased's body. Detectives are examining allegations that some church officials and hotel staff moved Fajana's body to a mortuary in Ikare-Akoko without a medical certificate or official confirmation of the cause of death.

Investigators are also probing reports of money potentially changing hands to expedite the body's transfer to the mortuary, even as church activities reportedly continued. The police have ordered a comprehensive investigation to determine the actual cause of death and whether any criminal activity was involved. The community awaits the investigation's outcome, with questions lingering about the circumstances of Fajana's death and the alleged premature movement of his body.

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detectives are investigating allegations that some church officials and hotel staff moved Fajana’s remains from the hotel to a mortuary in Ikare-Akoko without first obtaining a medical certificate or an official confirmation of the cause of death from a qualified doctor.