A cleric, whose name was given as Obaleme, committed suicide in Warri, Delta State, on Wednesday by setting himself on fire.
Last June a pastor ran amock while trying to perform exorcism on a deranged man in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The pastor, whose name is Timothy, according to an eyewitness, got to Ososami junctions of Oke-Ado around 5.20 p.m and went to meet the mentally-deranged man, popularly known as Tunde, who was sitting in front of a building in the area.
According to Semiu, a shop owner around the spot of the incident, the pastor began to read the Bible on sighting the mad man, while he moved closer to him and laid the hand on his head.
“At a point, there was a hot argument between the duo, which made the pastor to raise his voice as he was offering a deliverance prayer for Tunde, the mad man. The hot prayer lasted for over 15 minutes before another strange drama began,” Semiu told the Nigerian Tribune.
Speaking further, another witness, an okada rider, said at a point, the mad man removed the pastor’s hand from his head, adding that “suddenly, a strange spirit got hold of the pastor and he began to remove his cloth. He was naked and laid flat on the ground, speaking a strange language, with foam oozing out of his mouth.”
And in Delta, It was gathered that Obaleme, who had recently complained of family problems, stopped his car on Udu Bridge in Warri, grabbed a can of fuel and dashed under the bridge.
Eyewitnesses say he then doused himself with the fuel and set himself ablaze. Before onlookers could sufficiently quench the fire, the pastor died.
When contacted, Charles Muka, Delta state police spokesperson, said he was yet to be briefed on the incident.