Chaos erupted on Wednesday night in the Jacob Beredugo Street area of Osiri, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, as residents discovered the decomposing remains of Esere Okilo, a 45-year-old preacher, who had been declared missing 15 months earlier.
The shocking discovery was made by a concerned female relative who, while facing accommodation challenges, decided to visit Okilo’s residence.
Peering through a window, she was horrified to find the preacher’s skeletal remains seated on a toilet, clad only in a singlet.
Esere Okilo, originally from Nembe-Bassambiri in Nembe Local Government Area, was a reclusive pastor described by neighbors as a man of God.
He lived in a two-flat compound, occupying one unit, while his older brother and the brother’s wife resided in the other.
The brothers were reportedly estranged, with Okilo frequently accusing his sibling and his wife of being “bewitched.”
According to a neighbor who spoke under anonymity, “No one suspected anything unusual because there was no foul odor. We just assumed he had gone on one of his church trips.”
Family members, initially concerned about his prolonged absence, had declared him missing, though some believed he had embarked on a spiritual pilgrimage.
The grim discovery prompted the involvement of operatives from the Ekeki division of the Bayelsa Police Command.
Upon evacuating the corpse, officers arrested Okilo’s older brother on suspicion of concealing the death.
Further investigations revealed that traces of formalin had allegedly been sprinkled on the corpse, likely to suppress the smell of decomposition.
Workers at the Federal Medical Center morgue corroborated the findings.
The incident has left the community in shock, with many questioning how a death of such magnitude could remain undetected for over a year in a residential area.
The police have promised a thorough investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding Okilo’s death and the potential role of his brother in the mysterious case.
For now, the tragic demise of the reclusive preacher has cast a dark shadow over the neighborhood, with residents calling for answers and justice.