OGUN COUPLE FOUND DEAD AFTER REPORTED MARITAL DISPUTE, POLICE BEGIN INVESTIGATION

A Celestial Church of Christ evangelist, Abidemi Odukoya, and his wife, Adenike, have died in separate circumstances following a reported domestic confrontation at their residence in the Akinode/Ibogun community of Ogun State.

The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Monday, August 25, when a disagreement between the couple allegedly escalated into a physical confrontation. According to accounts from residents, Adenike was found unconscious and seriously injured inside the couple’s home, while her husband was said to have left the residence shortly after the incident.

A former Chairman of the Community Development Association in the area, Adejimi Olawumi, said residents were alerted after hearing cries for help from the direction of the couple’s home. He said that when he and other residents entered the house, they found the woman lying in a pool of blood. Efforts were reportedly made to find transportation to take her to a medical facility.

Olawumi explained that the couple’s son, who was reportedly in another room when the incident occurred, told residents that he had not witnessed what happened between his parents. Members of the community development association subsequently began searching for Abidemi after discovering that he was no longer at the residence.

The search reportedly ended after residents received information that the cleric had been struck by a vehicle in the Ifo area of the state. According to Olawumi, the police took Abidemi to a hospital, where he was identified by members of the community. His remains were later brought back for burial.

The deaths have also raised questions about the history of disagreements within the marriage. The deceased evangelist’s younger sister reportedly said the couple had experienced repeated conflicts before the latest incident. She recalled that the pair had visited her around April following an earlier disagreement and that the matter was eventually resolved at a police station.

She said the couple had been experiencing marital disputes for some time and that family members and other people had previously intervened to help settle their differences. She added that she had advised them to exercise patience and avoid fighting each other.

Following the latest incident, the wife was reportedly buried on the same day, while Abidemi’s remains were buried on Wednesday, September 2. Footage seen by PUNCH also showed clerics performing burial rites over the evangelist’s remains at an undisclosed location.

However, the exact circumstances surrounding both deaths have not been conclusively established. The account linking the two deaths to the reported domestic confrontation remains subject to investigation, and there has been no official police conclusion establishing precisely how each person died.

The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed that it is investigating the matter. The command’s Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Opeyemi Oluborode, acknowledged the incident but provided no further details, saying the investigation was ongoing.

The incident has left residents of the Akinode/Ibogun community shocked, with local accounts suggesting that while neighbours were aware of previous disagreements between the couple, the events surrounding their deaths were unexpected. Authorities are expected to establish the circumstances leading to the deaths as the investigation progresses.