By Kehinde Jacobs
According to an account narrated by Joe Jac, what authorities initially hoped would pass as another tragic road accident on a busy Nigerian highway has instead become a test case for public demands for police accountability.
On December 17, 2023, Street Preacher, Oluwatosin Onadipe walked into the Ago-Iwoye motor park in Ogun State with a Bible and a message. By the end of that day, witnesses say, he was dead. And in the days that followed, investigators allege, his body was dumped on the Ijebu-Ijesha Road and made to look like the victim of a hit-and-run.
The case has now exposed what prosecutors describe as a coordinated attempt to conceal a killing — one allegedly involving both a powerful local transport figure and police officers tasked with protecting citizens.
The confrontation at the park
Eyewitness accounts as narrated by Joe Jac had that Onadipe had gone to the park to preach the gospel. During the sermon, he was approached by a former chairman of the motor park, who accused him of disturbing public peace.
What began as a verbal disagreement quickly escalated. Multiple witnesses told investigators that the former chairman struck Onadipe repeatedly with an iron rod. By the time the altercation ended, Onadipe was seriously injured and unable to walk on his own.
Instead of calling for an ambulance, witnesses allege that officers from the local police division arrived and took Onadipe away from the scene.
Allegations of a cover-up
This is where the official narrative began to unravel.
Sources familiar with the investigation told this newspaper that rather than taking the injured preacher to hospital, the officers allegedly disposed of his mobile phone and drove his body to a quiet stretch of the Ijebu-Ijesha Road. There, they reportedly staged the scene to mimic a vehicle collision, leaving Onadipe’s body on the roadside.
Days later, passersby discovered the body. With no identification on him and visible trauma, police initially logged it as a suspected hit-and-run. But the story didn’t hold.
News of Onadipe’s death spread quickly on social media and in Ago-Iwoye. Community groups, civil rights organizations, and church members demanded answers. The pressure forced the Ogun State Police Command to issue a public statement promising a “thorough and transparent investigation” into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Arrests and charges
The investigation led the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, to detain two groups of people.
First, the primary suspect — the former motor park chairman accused of leading the assault — was arrested and taken into custody for questioning. Investigators allege he ordered the attack and personally struck Onadipe with the iron rod.
Second, the officers who were on duty the night Onadipe was taken from the park were also detained. SCID officials say they are probing allegations of evidence tampering, specifically the disposal of the victim’s phone, and the unlawful dumping of a body.
Following the conclusion of initial investigations, the former chairman and alleged accomplices were arraigned on charges of criminal conspiracy and murder. All remain in prison custody while the trial proceeds.
The officers implicated in the alleged cover-up are facing internal disciplinary proceedings alongside criminal inquiries.
A community still seeking closure
For residents of Ago-Iwoye, the case is about more than one man’s death. It has reignited debate about the relationship between transport unions, law enforcement, and accountability in Ogun State.
Residents and interest groups say they will be monitoring the trial closely. “This cannot be swept under the road like they tried to sweep his body,” one community leader said during a memorial held last month.
The Ogun State Police Command maintains that it is committed to ensuring justice, but for many, trust will only be restored in a courtroom.
As the trial continues, Onadipe’s family and supporters are calling for one thing: that the truth, not a staged accident, be what is finally recorded.
