The police in Lagos State, western Nigeria, have shut a church where a two-year old baby girl was allegedly buried alive at Egbeda.
Already, the police at Idimu Division have exhumed the body of the victim for autopsy and arrested the pastor of the church identified as Dare Ogunloye.
Sources told P.M.NEWS that the DPO, Mike Ochuko, ordered his men to exhume the corpse from the church premises for autopsy..
The incident happened at Christ Gospel Apostolic Church located at Destiny Avenue, Egbeda, close to the Palace of the traditional ruler of Egbeda kingdom, Oba Samson Balogun.
Following the incident, the monarch has called on the Lagos State Government to close down the church permanently if the allegation was true.
Oba Balogun said he was informed about the incident by his wife and it was very strange to him and the residents because his area has been peaceful.
He said he did not know that the incident happened very close to him until journalists came calling for his comments on the matter.
He said the police should thoroughly investigate the matter and bring those involved to justice.
When P.M. NEWS visited the church yesterday, a team of policemen were inside and outside the church. They used their Mazda patrol vehicle with registration number BD 36 AW to block the entrance of the church to prevent people from going in or coming out of the church.
One of the security men told our reporter that the church was temporary closed to allow the police investigate the matter.
The motive behind the burial of the baby inside the church was not clear at the time of this report as the arrested pastor and church members could not be reached for their comments.
P.M.NEWS gathered that a resident close to the church who had gone out to ease himself at about 2 a.m., last weekend, allegedly caught the pastor while burying the child in a shallow grave within the church premises.
The neighbor whose identity was not disclosed, was said to have alerted other residents. They were said to have reported their findings to policemen at Idimu Division, consequent upon which a team was drafted to the church.
The policemen dug the shallow grave where they discovered and exhumed the body of the baby girl.
Our reporter could not confirm at press time if the baby was actually buried alive as the residents claimed.
The Police Command’s Deputy Spokesman, Damasus Ozoani, confirmed the arrest of the pastor of the church in connection with the incident but declined further comments.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Yaba, Lagos, have taken over the investigation.
—Cyriacus Izuekwe
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