Pastor commits suicide after church members accuse of diverting money

Not being able to live with the shame of being accused of diverting his church funds by the members, a Pastor identified simply as

Punch reports that the 49-year-old man of God, took the ultimate decision at his residence at Abari Street in the Mulero, Dopemu area of Lagos State.

It was gathered that Pastor Bassey left a suicide note for his wife and son, Emmanuel, stating clearly why he had to take the decision and intimated that his family has no hand in his suicide.

Preliminary investigations by the police has revealed that the pastor seemed to be frustrated after he was accused by the church of diverting the undisclosed sum.

A police source said:

“The knife used by the pastor to kill himself has been recovered. He also wrote that he killed himself. We learnt that he was accused by his church of diverting money.

He was probably frustrated because his neighbours described him as a God-fearing and honest person. We are still trying to find out the actual amount involved.”

A neighbour of the deceased pastor, Seun Oladimeji, said the pastor had been awake in the night, walking around the passage.

“I don’t know whether he (pastor) did it because of the money issue, but he and his wife were very friendly. He woke up around 3am that day. I learnt his wife and son, Emmanuel, later begged him to go back to bed. At about 5am, the woman screamed for help. We all gathered in their room and saw blood gushing out of the pastor’s neck.

Unknown to the woman, he hid a knife which he used to slash his throat. Before he died, he wrote on a piece of paper ‘I, myself, not my wife’. I can say it anywhere that it was not his wife who killed him. The son was just crying; he was not himself. Both of them were arrested.”

Another resident, Olatunde Olasunbo, said the pastor moved to the area with his family two years ago.

“I did not know his church, but he was God-fearing and very nice. He was always with his bible. Even if he diverted the church funds, suicide is not the solution. He and his wife related like siblings. They moved to this area two years ago.”

The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident, stating that the case had been transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, for further investigation.