By Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti

The death of a 43-year-old pregnant woman and mother of two, Tosin Oluwadare, is brewing tension not only within her family, but also in the entire Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Ori-Oke, Ido-Ile, Ekiti West local government area of Ekiti State.

According to investigation by The Hope, the 43-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant was said to have been strangulated by her husband, Pastor Abiodun Sunday Oluwadare, who was until the unfortunate incident the Shepherd in charge of the CAC church. The fight started over a minor argument that ensued between the duo within the church premises.

The case is under investigation at the homicide section of the Ekiti State Police Command and the Pastor is currently cooling his feet at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) attached to the Ekiti State Police command.

The Pastor popularly addressed as “Ara Ina” is an indegene of Ido-Ile, an agrarian and religious community along Aramoko/Efon-Alaye highway in Ekiti West local government area of the State.

The incident which had thrown the entire hilltop community into mourning also brewed tension as youths in the community took to the streets to display their grievances on the death of the pregnant woman.

The Hope  gathered from the residents of the town that the cleric before he became a Pastor was a notorious herbalist in the town.

The suspect who was sometimes in the year 2022 posted to the  CAC church located at Ori -Oke Ido-Ile mountain was said to have been indicted over various allegations in the church since his transfer to the branch.

He was also said to have been suspended from the church over allegation of disappearance of a toddler on the mountain, which is currently under investigation by the police before he was reinstated by the church authority.

Speaking on the matter, a 34-year-old brother of the deceased, Samuel Ibironke, described the death of his sister as very painful and explained that on the fateful day the cleric had sought medical assistance for the deceased over an undisclosed ailment.

The deceased’s brother said his own wife, being a nurse at a government health facility had offered to help.

But before the nurse got to the church in Ido-Ile, the cleric had allegedly strangulated his heavily pregnant wife.

The cleric who was spotted at the Ita-Ido, a neighbouring town at the outskirts of Ido-Ile with the corpse of the wife after allegedly strangulating her, claimed that he was taking her to the hospital apparently to remove the foetus from her womb  before burial.

He was said to have been arrested with the corpse by the police at the Ita-Ido police post, where the remains of the pregnant woman was deposited at the Ekiti State Specialist Hospital morgue, while the cleric was transferred  to the homicide section at the Ekiti State Police Command headquarters, Ado-Ekiti.

The deceased, a 43-year-old and mother of two got legally married to the cleric nine years ago.

Reacting to the incident, the traditional ruler of Ido-Ile, Oba Aderemi Obaleye, the Olojudo of Ido-Ile, described the incident as a sad one said “it is a very sad occurrence which nearly set the town on fire because the youth went on rampage in protest against the so called pastor.

” I want the police and other authority to investigate the matter and bring the culprit to book so as to serve as deterrence to others.”

Similarly, when contacted, the Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Sunday Abutu, who confirmed the  incident, said the homicide section of the command has begun investigation on the matter.

He explained that the cleric is currently detained at the command and would be taken to court as soon as investigation is completed on the matter, while the corpse of the deceased has been deposited at the morgue.