Ondo State: Police Arrests Ten People For Looting Sotitobire Church

No less than ten people have been arrested by the Ondo State Police Command on Thursday for looting the property of the Sotitobire Praising Chapel, in Akure.

The Ondo State police command stated that the people that were arrested was because they stole from the church during the violence which took place on Wednesday.

Recall that some aggrieved youths in the state capital stormed the church over the disappearance of a one-year-old boy, Gold Kolawole, from the church during a Sunday service last month.

The youth set the church on fire over reports that the dead body of the missing child was exhumed from the church’s altar.

The incident saw two people lose their lives, including a policeman, whose identity has yet to be revealed. The spokesperson of the Ondo State police command, Femi Joseph, revealed that ten people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

He said, “We have arrested 10 persons. While the violent crisis was going on, they were busy looting the property of the church. We even recovered some of the church’s property from them.”

“Some of them were using vehicles to take the items away when we caught them. We will arrest more of those looters.”

However, the founder of the Sotitobire Praising Chapel, Akure, Alfa Babatunde, has filed a suit against the Department of State Services before the Federal High Court sitting in Akure over his arrest and detention by the security agency.

The cleric in a suit filed by his counsel, Yemi Omoware, sought the order of the court to effect his release from the detention of DSS.

The applicant said his arrest and detention by the DSS were an abuse of the legal process and violation of his fundamental right to freedom of movement.

The respondents in the suit are the DSS, the Director-General of the DSS in Ondo State, Mr. Emmanuel Anaobi, Mr. Isaac Babalola, and Mr. Remi Oluwalogbon.

Babatunde’s lawyer is seeking an order “directing/compelling the release of the applicant unconditionally from the custody of the respondents.”

The suit is also seeking an order “enforcing the fundamental rights of the applicant to liberty and dignity of the human person, which rights were violated by the respondents.”

The applicant also sought an order restraining the respondents, their agents, servants, subordinates and or any person(s) taking instructions from them whatsoever/whosoever from engaging in any further acts of arrest, detention, and violation of his right to liberty and or dignity of the human person.

The pastor filed a #100m aggravated damages against DSS over the violation of his fundamental human rights.