Police nab prime suspect, uncover shallow grave of missing LASU graduate

The Lagos State Police Command has discovered a shallow grave where a missing Lagos State University (LASU) graduate, Adedamola Ogunbode, was buried.

This breakthrough came after the arrest of the prime suspect, Olaoluwa Ajisomo.

According to police reports, Ajisomo, who was initially rumored to have fled to the Benin Republic, was apprehended on Monday in the Alakuko area of Lagos.

Following his arrest, he cooperated with investigators and led them to the burial site of the victim.

Confirming the arrest, the command’s spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, revealed that Ajisomo had cleared Ogunbode’s bank account using his mobile phone.

“The principal suspect, Olaoluwa Ajisomo, was the one who withdrew all the money from the victim’s account,” he stated.

Ogunbode, a Political Science Education graduate from LASU, had been missing since January 16, 2025.

His disappearance raised serious concerns, and it was later discovered that his body had been mutilated.

Last week, three other suspects were arrested in connection to the crime, including a pastor, Whepetoji Sunday, who allegedly received N70,000 from the victim’s account, and a church member, Sheriff Adebayo, who was said to have received N300,000.

The suspect’s mother, Omolara Ajisomo, was also detained for allegedly helping her sons—Teniola and Olaoluwa—evade arrest after they transferred money from the deceased’s account.

In response to mounting pressure from student groups threatening protests, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Owohundare Jimoh, has directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to take over the case.

CSP Hundeyin also clarified that the burial site was not within a church compound, as some rumors had suggested.

However, he confirmed that the church where the arrested pastor worshipped had been sealed off to prevent a possible attack.

“The shallow grave is not located within the church premises. We sealed the church due to intelligence reports that some individuals planned to burn it down in retaliation,” he explained.

Meanwhile, police detectives have begun the process of exhuming the victim’s remains after the prime suspect reportedly confessed to the crime.