‘Navy Commander’s murder planned from church’

Bernard Simon, the suspect in the murder of Commandant, Armed Forces Command and Staff College Secondary School in Jaji, Navy Commander Oluyemisi Ogundana allegedly planned the murder from a church, The Nation learnt on Thursday.

It was gathered that Simon, who was removed as Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Secretary by Commander Ogundana for alleged illegal practices, was residing in the church days before he allegedly executed the evil act.

It was gathered that Simon, a native of Kogi State, was evicted from his residence by his unnamed landlady who had allegedly expressed displeasure over his behaviour.

“He is the General Secretary of the church and when his landlady sent him packing, he moved his things to the church. He was actually staying in the church at the time he planned and killed her. It is suspected that he killed her on Friday night.

“He tore her net to gain entry into the passage and then to her garage. It is suspected he ambushed her at the garage because that place is inner garage and a bit dark,” said a source.

The Nation gathered that after killing her, mutilating her body with the help of his nephew Ibrahim Momoh which they dumped inside a well near a church inside the cantonment, Bernard returned to her home the following day to steal her belongings including a laptop, money and other valuables.

It was gathered that investigators took the suspect to the church where most of Commander  Ogundana’s items were found. Her laptop, it was gathered, was recovered from Momoh’s wife, who allegedly confessed that the duo gave her.

He was said to have also looked for the original copies of her vehicle particulars to aid their selling it but could not find them which prompted his hiring two soldiers to stand as guarantors that the vehicle was genuine.

“After they killed her, they went away with her car but the man came back to her apartment on Saturday and ransacked it. He was looking for the original vehicle documents to ease the sale but it seems he could not get it. Then, he went and got two soldiers to assure buyers that the vehicle was not stolen and it was genuine.

“The soldiers claimed that they did not know the vehicle belonged to the commander and that they did not know anything had happened to her. They have been arrested by the military police because what they did was even illegal,” said another source.

Meanwhile, Commander  Ogundana’s colleagues, it was learnt, were planning a condolence visit to her husband said to have returned to Lagos from Kaduna to stay with his young kids who were said to be asking of their mother’s whereabouts.

A source said she had promised them she will be back last week and since they have not seen her yet, they have been asking their father where she was and why she did not come home as promised?

“They do not know yet. They keep asking of their mother and have been told she went for an exercise. Maybe, now that their father is back, he will find a way to tell them,” said the source.