Naija News

Punch News
The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions has said 49-
year-old Samson Adeneye and a woman, Oyerinde Olawunmi,
48, have a case to answer in a matter in which a human skull
was found in the ceiling of an orthodox church in Lagos.
Two policemen attached to the Special Anti-robbery Squad –
ASP Franklin Alade and Cpl Deleojo Odunayo – were also
implicated in the matter, for abuse of office.
PUNCH Metro had reported in July 2013, that a human skull
was found in the ceiling of the St. Peter Cherubim and
Seraphim band on Moses Adebisi Street, in the Ketu area of the
state.
Prior to the incident, Adeneye and Olawunmi, who were former
members of the band, were said to have sent threat text
messages to some of the church's ministers.
The two suspects were said to have accused the pastors of
occultism and threatened to deal with them and kill them.
Both suspects were said to have alerted the two SARS officers
that there was a case of gunrunning in the assembly.
The policemen reportedly stormed the assembly without any
search warrant and headed for the ceiling where they allegedly
found the item.
Our correspondent learnt that further investigations by the
police revealed that the two former members might have
arranged the object to implicate the ministers, as suggested by
earlier text messages sent to them.
They were subsequently arrested and arraigned before a
Surulere Magistrate's Court on charges of unlawful possession
of human head.
The matter had been adjourned for DPP's advice.
The DPP in its advice, signed by the Deputy Director,
Adegboyega Bajulaiye, said, "After carefully considering the
facts available in the duplicate case file, this office is of the
view that there are sufficient facts to establish a prima facie
case of conspiracy to commit felony to wit; offering violence to
officiating ministers of religion, written threat to kill and
publication of false news which is likely to cause fear and
alarm to the public….
"Facts available in the duplicate case file reveal that prior to
January 19, 2013, there was a malice that brewed up over the
years between Apostle Albert Samson and Samson Adeneye,
which culminated into unauthorised search on the premises of
Albert by men of SARS, led by ASP Franklin Alade, on the
trumped-up allegation of gunrunning. This act of the police
officers, which was believed to have been instigated by
Adeneye, amount to abuse of office…."
The advice further stated that the two defendants had been
sending death threat messages to the ministers, which were
meant to distract them from their duties as ministers.
On the matter of the skull, the advice said, "There is however a
strong inference from the facts in the case file that Adeneye
may have been instrumental to placing ritual objects, including
human skulls, on the ceiling of Albert's church because of his
prior accusation of Albert being a ritualist. This will only
amount to speculation and suspicion, which no matter how
grave, cannot stand in the place of law, particularly in the
absence of eyewitness account or unequivocal evidence of
inference."
The DPP said based on its findings, Adeneye and Olawunmi,
should be arraigned for conspiracy to commit felony, written
threat to kill and publication of false news.
Four other suspects were ordered to be released, if still in
police custody.
The magistrate, Mrs. A.O Adedayo, adjourned the matter till
July 1, 2014.
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