The tragic demise of Most Senior Evangelist Gbaju Fadehan of CCC Grace of Comfort Parish in Ile Ife, Osun State has left members of the Church in shock. The incident occurred when his assistant, who worked closely with him intentionally murdered him with knife injuries before setting him ablaze in the Parish due to a personal misunderstanding.
BACKGROUND INSIGHT OF EVENTS
CCC Grace of Comfort Parish in Ile Ife was established by Baba Falaju, an Elder of CCC Moore Cathedral, Administrative Divisional Headquarters. The Parish was built with the intention of serving as a house of God without any expectation of monetary gain. After the completion of the Parish, Baba Falaju reached out to VSE Hopo, the then shepherd of CCC Moore Cathedral to assign a Shepherd to the newly constructed parish.
Most Senior Evangelist Gbaju Fadehan and Evangelist Lekan Ogundipe were both Church Workers at CCC Moore Cathedral in Ile Ife under VSE Hopo. The opportunity to lead the new Parish was offered to Most Senior Evangelist Gbaju Fadehan, who promptly assumed his role as the Shepherd of CCC Grace of Comfort Parish. Subsequently, he invited Evangelist Lekan Ogundipe to join him as his Assistant Shepherd, a proposal which Evangelist Lekan Ogundipe accepted.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN M/S/E FADEHAN AND EVANG OGUNDIPE.
The connection between M/S/E Gbaju Fadehan and Evang Lekan Ogundipe traces back to CCC Moore Cathedral Administrative Divisional Headquarters in Ile Ife, Osun State. Evang Lekan Ogundipe was born at CCC Moore Cathedral Ile-Ife and began his Levites work there. Similarly, M/S/E Gbaju Fadehan was a Levite at the same Parish, serving as the Chairman of Evangelism before becoming the Shepherd of CCC Grace of Comfort Parish in Ile Ife. Prior to his role as Shepherd, M/S/E Fadehan worked as a trained building engineer, often take Evang Lekan Ogundipe to construction sites when additional workers were needed.
FACE-OFF BETWEEN M/S/E FADEHAN AND EVANG OGUNDIPE.
Upon assuming the role of Assistant Shepherd, Evang Lekan Ogundipe was entrusted with the keys to the Parish building, as the Parish did not have a vicarage for Shepherds. Tensions arose when allegations surfaced that Evang Lekan Ogundipe was engaged in inappropriate behavior, such as pursuing female members of the Parish and accepting money for spiritual services that were not fulfilled as promised. The major dispute arose when Evang Lekan Ogundipe attempted to court a female Prophetess, only to be rejected. Feeling unsupported by his superior M/S/E Gbaju Fadehan in his pursuit of the Prophetess, tensions escalated.
On the 21th of February 2024, the Prophetess entered a trance and upon regaining consciousness, Evang Lekan Ogundipe approached her again, only to be rebuffed once more. In a shocking turn of events, he resorted to violence by biting the Prophetess on the hand.
Subsequent to this disturbing incident and other reported issues, M/S/E Gbaju Fadehan demanded the Parish building key from Evang Lekan Ogundipe, who complied on the same day. As a result, M/S/E Gbaju Fadehan took charge of opening the Parish from 22nd to the 25th of February 2024.
However, on the 26th of February 2024, a tragic event unfolded when M/S/E Gbaju Fadehan arrived at the Parish & proceed to the inner altar to pray, unaware that his Assistant Shepherd, Evang Lekan Ogundipe was behind him. In a shocking act of betrayal, Evang Lekan Ogundipe covered his boss’s face with an altar cloth and proceeded to attack him with a knife, causing severe injuries.
Subsequently, Evang Lekan Ogundipe doused the altar cloth in the generator’s petroleum tank and set his boss ablaze without warning or remorse. The heinous nature of these actions shocked the everyone and led to severe consequences for Evang Lekan Ogundipe.
The Suspect (Evang Lekan Ogundipe)
INTERVENTION OF SHEPHERDS & OTHERS.
The disruptive noise emanating from the Parish premises caught the attention of neighbors, prompting Evang Lekan Ogundipe to set his boss on fire. This incident led to calls being made to the police station and other shepherds in the Ilode area. Upon the arrival of the Police at the Parish to assess the situation, Evang Lekan Ogundipe was promptly arrested and taken to the Ilode Police Divisional Headquarters in Ile Ife for further investigation.
VISIT BY VSE ADJOVI TO THE PARISH.
Upon receiving news of the incident at his base in Osogbo, the State Evangelist of Osun State and Chairman of the Church Task Force, VSE AdJovi immediately proceeded to Ile Ife to assess the situation. Upon arrival, he visited the Parish for questioning and was accompanied by over 25 shepherds, including the Ife Divisional Head, VSE Temitope Adebayo. Together, they visited the home of the victim, M/S/E Gbaju Fadehan to offer their sympathies and deliver a message from the Pastor to the grieving family.
VSE AdJovi further assured the family that the Church would collaborate closely with the police to provide any necessary information to aid in the prosecution of whoever was responsible for the tragic death of Most Senior Evangelist Gbaju Fadehan.
