The husband of a gospel singer, who was found dead in a
private hotel in Benin, Edo State, Mr. Odion Omoarebokhae, has accused the
senior pastor of a Pentecostal church, identified as Apostle Psalm Okpe, of
allegedly killing his wife, Yvonne Omoarebokhae.
Odion, a transporter who dismissed the speculation that his
wife died of cardiac arrest, alleged that she could have been given an overdose
of an unknown substance in the hotel room and left to die.
The Yvonne had on April 8 been reportedly found dead in
private a hotel located in the Government Reservation Area, a day after
performing at a church programme in Warri.
The 30-year-old woman was said to have been invited by the
Lagos based pastor, whom she had reportedly met on Facebook, to perform at a
church programme in Warri, Asaba and Benin.
She was said to have been confirmed dead at the Central
Hospital, Benin, while her corpse was deposited in a mortuary.
Efforts to reach pastor Okpe for comments were unsuccessful
as he was said to be in police custody.
But the husband of the deceased, who told our correspondent
on Monday that he did not know the pastor, said, “At about 9pm, I was called
to come to the Airport road police station. Initially, I thought she had an
issue with the taxi she took on her way back.
“But later that night, the police, after tossing me here and
there, told me that she was dead. It was later that I discovered that the
pastor that invited her to cover the programme, Psalm Okpe, had killed my
wife.”
Odion also claimed the CCTV footage obtained from the hotel
revealed that both the cleric and the deceased lodged in the same room and
showed the suspicious movements of the pastor, which according to him
indicated his complicity in the death of the woman.
The man said, “I have watched the CCTV footage. Initially,
the pastor said that they came back together and she went her way and he went
his own way. But we have been to that place (hotel) and watched the CCTV
footage and discovered that, contrary to what he (pastor) wrote, she (deceased)
actually slept there.
“Immediately they entered, she was just following like a
dumb (and) went up upstairs. The police told me that they met my wife dressed
like somebody ready to go out. The police snapped her (took her photograph)
like somebody taking a nap.
“I have seen my wife’s body; there is no mark on her. From
what I observed, I think she was given an overdose of a substance I do not
know. Probably, her system could not take it.
“She communicated with me that day she died, at about 10am,
that they have finished performing; she could not return the day before; that
she is already in Benin (and) in the next one hour, she will be in the house.”
The husband of the deceased, who claimed to have received
calls from some persons to withdraw the matter, urged the Nigeria Police Force
to conduct a thorough investigation in the interest of justice for the
aggrieved family.
“One or two person have been calling
me that I should try and bury my wife that they will talk to them for
settlement. I have told them (that) I didn’t sell her and I am not collecting
any money from anybody.
“I want the police to follow this
case because I know that pastor Psalm Okpe killed me wife. So, I want the law
to make sure he does not go unpunished,” Odion added.
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