A Celestial Church of Christ evangelist, Abidemi Odukoya, and his wife, Adenike, have reportedly died in separate circumstances after an alleged domestic dispute at their home in Akinode/Ibogun, Ogun State.
The incident reportedly happened around 1am on Monday, August 25, after a disagreement between the couple allegedly turned physical.
Adenike was said to have been left unconscious and injured, while Odukoya reportedly fled the house.
Former Community Development Association chairman, Adejimi Olawumi, said he was alerted by neighbours shouting for help. He later found Adenike lying in a pool of blood.
Olawumi said, “It was around 1am when I heard my neighbours shouting, ‘thief, thief.’ On my way out, I saw Daniel. I asked him what happened, and he said it was his mum and dad. Then I went to call my neighbours to come out.
“Immediately, we got inside the house and saw the wife in a pool of blood. At that time, there were no vehicles to take her to the hospital.
“The son said he did not see what happened between his mum and dad because he was in the other room. So, we started calling people together.”
Olawumi said the CDA later discovered that Odukoya was missing and searched for him. They eventually learnt he had been hit by a vehicle in Ifo, where police took him to a hospital.
He said, “When we saw that we did not see the husband, everyone in the CDA came out to look for him everywhere. We called our area chairman to tell him about the incident.
“Later, we heard that Mr Abidemi had been hit by a car in Ifo. The police took him to the hospital, and we confirmed that he was the one. The CDA then started working on how to bring his remains home.
“We have never heard or seen something like this happen before. We only know that they fight sometimes and settle it among themselves.”
Odukoya’s younger sister also claimed the couple had a history of repeated disagreements. She said they visited her around April after another fight, which was settled at a police station.
She said, “I have been hearing that they have been fighting for a while now. Around April, they came to my house. He explained everything about how he and his wife fought, and that it was at the police station they settled it.
“I only told them to be patient with each other because it is not right for a husband and wife to fight against each other. They had been fighting for a very long time, and people helped them settle it. And now we just heard that the husband and wife are dead.”
She added that the family learnt of the incident after one sibling received a phone call, after which arrangements were made for the bodies.
Adenike was reportedly buried on the day of the incident, while Odukoya was buried on Wednesday, September 2.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths remained unclear as of the time of filing. The state police command’s deputy spokesman, Opeyemi Oluborode, confirmed the incident on Wednesday.
