Church leader shoots teenager during vigil

A Celestial Church pastor has shot an 18-year-old girl with a double-barreled gun at Olambe, Akute, in Ogun.

And the shooter, Pastor Peter Ayodele, has been arrested by the police for attempted murder and illegal possession of arm.

The police got a distress call from Deji Olaketan, a driver who informed them at the Ajuwon division.

The driver and the victim, identified as Kemi Johnson, had taken their boss, a woman, to the airport to board a plane.

On their way to return the vehicle to a relation of their boss, as directed, they were informed that there was curfew imposed by Oro at Olambe, which made it impossible for them to pass through the area.

So they decided to stay till dawn at the suspect’s Celestial Church, where a vigil was ongoing.

“While they were at the entrance of the church, the suspect who happened to be the shepherd in-charge, came out with a pump action rifle and before they could utter any explanation, he shot Kemi Johnson on the leg,” the Ogun State police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said on Saturday.

Oyeyemi said that the DPO of Ajuwon division, SP Andrew Akinseye, had quickly mobilized his men to the scene where the suspect was arrested.

He added that the victim was initially rushed to Ifako Ijaye General Hospital, but she was referred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH and finally to the Orthopedics Hospital, Igbobi all in Lagos.

“The pump action rifle and five live cartridges had been recovered from the suspect,” the police spokesperson said.

Commissioner of Police Lanre Bankole has ordered further investigation.