A Celestial Church of Christ evangelist, Abidemi Odukoya, and his wife, Adenike, have died in circumstances surrounding an alleged domestic altercation at their home in the Akinode/Ibogun community of Ogun State.
The tragic incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Monday, August 25, after a disagreement between the couple allegedly escalated into a physical confrontation.
The wife was said to have been found unconscious and injured in a pool of blood, while Odukoya allegedly left the house before residents could locate him.
A former Chairman of the Community Development Association, Adejimi Olawumi, said residents were alerted to the incident by cries for help around 1am.
According to him, he was told by the couple’s son that something had happened to his parents.
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.
“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.”
He said the couple’s son told residents that he did not witness what happened because he was in another room when the incident occurred.
Members of the CDA subsequently launched a search for the evangelist after discovering that he was no longer at the residence.
Olawumi said they later received information that Odukoya had been hit by a vehicle in the Ifo area of Ogun State.
“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,” he said.
He added that residents were aware of disagreements between the couple, although such disputes had allegedly been resolved on previous occasions.
“We have never heard or seen something like this happen before. We only know that they fight sometimes and settle it among themselves,” Olawumi said.
Meanwhile, the late evangelist’s younger sister said in a video circulating online that the couple had allegedly experienced repeated domestic disagreements.
She said the couple had visited her residence around April following an earlier altercation, which was reportedly resolved at a police station.
“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 said.
Adenike was reportedly buried on the day of the incident, while the remains of Odukoya were laid to rest on Wednesday, September 2.
Videos circulating online showed clerics conducting burial rites for the late evangelist.
The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths is ongoing.
The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Opeyemi Oluborode, said, “The police are investigating the incident.”
