It didn’t rain for the controversial Akure Pastor, Alfa Babatunde, general overseer of Sotitobire Miracle Center. It poured, as an Akure High Court has remanded him at Olokuta Correctional Centre over missing Gold Kolawole, the one-year-old boy who suddenly disappeared in the church in November.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had arraigned Babatunde before an Akure magistrate’s court on two counts of felony and kidnap.
He was arraigned alongside six others: Omodara Olayinka Margaret Oyebola, Grace Ogunjobi, Egunjobi Motunrayo, Esther Kayode and Peter Anjorin.
The arraignment was in connection with the disappearance of a one year old boy inside Sotitobire church in November.
The mother of the child had dropped him at the creche section of the church but the boy went missing before the end of the programme.
Following rumors that the missing child was buried at the church’s altar, aggrieved youth set the church on fire last week.
Femi Joseph, spokesman of the Ondo police command, later said fake news led to the burning of the church.
The DSS had earlier arrested Babtunde following a petition on the missing child.
At the end of the court session on Monday, members of the church wept openly as Babatunde was ordered into a van better known as “Black Maria”.
The van is used to convey bail suspects and convicted persons from the court to prison.
Sotitobire General Overseer was arrested last week Tuesday following a petition by parents of the missing one-year-old boy known as Eniola Gold Kolawole, who went missing at the crèche section of the church during a service on November 10, 2019.
Irate youths reacting to a rumour that filtered into the state capital that security operatives have exhumed corpse of the baby on the alter of the church went on rampage setting the church ablaze and killing a policeman and an Okada rider..
Security operatives however described the rumour as untrue information that set the whole city into confusion.
The angry youths also burnt vehicles in front of the church, while some property were looted by some suspected thugs.
