Church Founder Stabbed To Death During Couple's Fight in Osun

The founder of Rapture Empowerment International in Osogbo, Osun State, Bishop Shina Olaribigbe, was stabbed to death in the early hours of Thursday while attempting to mediate a domestic dispute between a couple.

Details of the couple involved remain unclear, but sources revealed that the wife was an interpreter at Olaribigbe’s church located around the BCGA area in Osogbo.

The couple, although not officially divorced, had a history of frequent altercations that led to them living apart.

It was gathered that Olaribigbe, who was known for intervening in their disputes, had gone to visit the wife, who had been ill for some time.

The husband reportedly arrived at the residence early Thursday morning and found the clergyman in the room. Enraged by the situation, the husband allegedly attacked Olaribigbe.

“A heated argument ensued, and in a fit of anger, the man took a knife and stabbed the pastor in the chest. Olaribigbe died on the spot,” a source close to the church, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said.

Following the incident, both the husband and wife were arrested and taken into custody at the Dugbe Police Division in Osogbo.

The remains of Bishop Olaribigbe have been deposited at the morgue of the University of Osun Teaching Hospital in Osogbo.

Confirming the incident, Osun State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, stated, “The couple was not living together, though they were not legally separated. The pastor had been intervening in their quarrels, and on this occasion, he was at the wife’s house when the estranged husband arrived.

“We were told that the husband stabbed the pastor multiple times, killing him. There is suspicion that the husband believed the pastor was having an affair with his wife."