‘RCCG Pastor Found Stabbed, Coughing Blood’

A Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) pastor named Babatunde Dada was found coughing up blood after reportedly being attacked and robbed by two adolescents he allegedly housed after helping them find employment, according to a Lagos State High Court hearing at Tafawa Balewa Square on Tuesday.

Farouk Mohammed, 16, and Kasali Jamiu, 19, who are accused of being recent Christians at the Festac church branch where the pastor served, are on trial before Justice Sherifat Sonaike for the murder of Dada, 46, on December 2, 2021.

The Lagos State Government remanded Mohammed and Jamiu after their arraignment before the judge.

The two were first accused of acquiring a Spark S Techno phone worth N60,000 that belonged to the dead on January 12, 2022, in front of two other people, Mumuni Toheeb, 21, and Mubarak Soliu, 20.

Following a pause in the proceedings, Dr. Babajide Martins, Director of Public Prosecutions for Lagos State, called the deceased’s younger brother, Michael Dada, to the witness stand.

The witness described how his brother was discovered after the stabbing. The witness confirmed that Dada was a pastor at RCCG Resurrection Chapel on 6th Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos.

“On the 2nd of December 2021, I received a call from my younger sister, Oluwakemi Dada who lived with my deceased brother. She was screaming on the phone, that my brother was lying in a pool of blood in the church.

“Before getting to the church, she called me back that my brother had been taken to Navy Town Hospital where they took the body. There I found him already confirmed dead,” Michael said.

When he asked his sister what happened, “she told me that there were two strange boys working with them whom the church had accommodated.

“According to her, when she interrogated my deceased brother about them, he said they were new converts and the church had accommodated them on the church premises. He said he didn’t want the two boys to be stranded or roaming around the church premises so decided to engage them in his laundry business.

“The boys started working with him and were going to be paid. According to my sister Oluwakemi, on that fateful day, my deceased brother told her and the other laundry workers he was going to the bank and that he would be back.

“She said when he came back, he went upstairs in the church to go and rest. After a while, she wondered why he had not come down after resting for quite some time. One of the laundry workers went upstairs to pick a cloth to wash. On getting there, he screamed. I asked my sister why they were not listening. They said the generator was on.

“The worker screamed and called the rest. They all met the pastor in a pool of blood and he was coughing up blood. They noticed that the two strange boys, Farouk and Jamiu were not there.”

Michael said he asked about the deceased’s phone but it was nowhere to be found and some of the deceased’s belongings.

“I quickly got in contact with the pastor in charge, he continued by then the news had spread. Later in the day, the pastor in charge and his wife came to confirm his body at the Navy Town Hospital. The matter was reported to Festac Police Station.”

During cross-examination, the first defendant’s counsel, Mr. Oyekanmi Isijola, asked the witness how he got to know about the incident. The witness said the incident was relayed to him by his sister, that he didn’t witness it.

Counsel to the second defendant, Mr. Spurgeon Ataene asked if the witness, if knew when the defendants were engaged to work in the laundry service of the church.

“I do not know, I am only aware of the incident of December 2nd and it was communicated to me by my sister,” the witness said.

The court could not proceed with the second witness, Inspector Daniel Olumuyiwa, because his name was not listed on the list of witnesses.

Justice Shonaike adjourned till December 12, 2022, for the hearing of the defendants’ bail applications and January 10, 2023, for the continuation of the trial.

The defendants were arraigned on four counts bordering on conspiracy to murder, murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, and armed robbery.

Dr. Martins told the court that the defendants conspired and allegedly killed Dada on December 2, 2021, around noon at the RCCG, Road 13, 6th Avenue, Festac area of Lagos.

He said they killed the deceased by hitting him on the head with a wooden plank and a bottle.

The prosecutor also told the court that the duo robbed the deceased of his bag and a mobile phone.

The defendants pleaded not guilty.