Muhammed Musa, a laborer, has admitted to the killing of Pastor Dada Itopa on his farm located in Ipele within the Owo council area of Ondo state. Musa revealed that he committed the act because an herbalist had demanded a fresh head from him.
Police detectives in the state apprehended Musa after he fatally attacked the pastor using a cutlass. Additionally, he inflicted injuries upon the pastor’s wife, Bose Dada, during their collaborative effort with another laborer, who is currently at large, to clear the farm.
The incident unfolded after a negotiation was concluded regarding the laborers’ task on the farm. The 45-year-old victim, who had hired the laborers from Kogi state, agreed to pay them N11,000 to clear weeds on his farm.
Unexpectedly, Musa requested the pastor’s sharper cutlass to aid in the clearing process, concealing his true intentions. The unsuspecting pastor handed over the cutlass, only to be attacked by Musa, who proceeded to hack him to death in the presence of his wife.
The victim’s wife managed to escape the attack but sustained various injuries and is currently receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) hospital in Owo.
Subsequent to the incident being reported at the Ipele police station, Musa was arrested by the authorities. The accomplice, named Omatai, fled the town. Musa confessed to the police that the murder was carried out with the intention of obtaining the pastor’s head for delivery to a herbalist in the area, as per the herbalist’s request.
In an interview, Musa said that ” I only macheted the wife while trying to run away but it was my oga who macheted the Pastor. We pretended to agree to work on the Pastor’s farm not knowing that the wife will follow us to the farm.
“I am from Kogi state and I help people to do farm work before Omatai introduced me to the business. The herbalist and Omatai have been on the run since the incident happened”
Speaking on the arrest, the state police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, said the 30-year-old Musa, was arrested for hacking a farmer, Dada Itopa to death at Ebira camp, off Ipele, in Owo council area of the state.
Odunlami explained that “On the 7th of August, 2023 at about 0800hrs, One Dada Itopa ‘M’ aged 45 years old Pastor and his wife Dada Bose went to their farmland at Ebira camp Ipele in company of two labourers, Mohammed Musa ‘M’ aged 30years and Omatai ‘m’ who is now at large to help them clear weeds on their farmland and a sum of N11,000 was agreed upon for workmanship.
“In the process, Omatai requested for a cutlass from Dada Itopa under the pretence that he wanted to use it to work on the farm but hacked Dada to death.
“The victim’s wife, who tried crying for help to prevent him from escaping was also macheted on the head by Mohammed Musa, and the victim is currently at the Hospital.
Odunlami added that “In the course of the investigation, Mohammed Musa confessed that they carried out the attack because they needed to deliver a human head to a herbalist who requested it in Ipele.
