Assailants hack security guard to death at Ogun church altar

Unknown assailants invaded Christ Crusaders’ Deliverance Ministries in Akute-Odo community in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State and hacked the church’s security guard, popularly known as Baba Iwo, to d3ath. 

A resident, identified only as Ajoke, told punch that the incident occurred around 1am on Monday, February 10, 2026 when there was no power supply in the area.

She explained that Baba Iwo, who was outside the church at the time, became suspicious after noticing movements within the premises.

“With his cutlass in hand, he told another security guard who works in a nearby area that he wanted to go inside the church to inspect what was going on,” she said.

Ajoke added that when the inspection took longer than expected, the other guard became alarmed.

“When he peeped through the entrance of the church, he saw Baba Iwo lying helpless on the altar. He also noticed someone suspected to be one of the attackers hiding behind one of the doors, and that was when he raised the alarm,” she said.

Another resident, Moses, told the publication that the attackers appeared to have attempted to sever the victim’s head but were prevented by the swift intervention of youths in the community.

“If you see his head, the neck was almost completely severed. I believe they tried to cut it off several times, but for the quick intervention of the youths, they would have succeeded,” he said.

Although the exact number of the assailants remains unclear, one suspect believed to be directly involved in the attack was apprehended while attempting to flee and was later handed over to operatives of the Ajuwon Police Division.

One of those involved in the arrest, identified as Dare, said two residents sustained injuries during the struggle.

“It was very difficult to arrest him. Although we heard there were three attackers, only one was caught while trying to escape. We chased him while shouting ‘thief, thief’.

“When he realised he might be caught, he also started shouting ‘thief’ until we eventually overpowered him near the tollgate. Before we subdued him, he injured two of us with the big cutlass he was holding,” Dare said.

Another eyewitness, identified only as Tife, alleged that the suspect made disturbing claims while being questioned by residents.

“He said what they do is cut people’s heads. The police need to conduct a thorough investigation. If he truly said there were three of them, the church’s CCTV footage should be checked to confirm whether the others escaped,” she said.

Tife also alleged that the suspect damaged streetlights while fleeing. 

“As he was running, he was breaking street bulbs so that he wouldn’t be recognised. A thorough investigation is needed, and the church should provide its CCTV footage,” she added.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Babaseyi Oluseyi, who confirmed the incident said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

He said the body of the deceased had been released to his family in line with Islamic rites, noting that investigations were ongoing. 

“The body was released to the family because they are Muslims. The investigation is ongoing, and we cannot speculate. The investigation will reveal the details,” Oluseyi said.

He added that certain aspects of the probe would remain confidential until its conclusion.

“There are things in the investigation that must be kept discreet. When the investigation is concluded, our findings will be made known,” he said.