A Celestial Church of Christ evangelist, Abidemi Odukoya, and his wife, Adenike, have died following an alleged domestic altercation 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.
The wife was said to have sustained serious injuries and was found unconscious inside the house, while her husband reportedly left the residence shortly afterwards.
A former Chairman of the Community Development Association in the area, Adejimi Olawumi, said he was alerted after residents raised an alarm during the incident.
Olawumi explained that upon entering the house with other community members, they found Adenike lying in a pool of blood. He said efforts were made to arrange transportation to take her to a hospital.
According to him, the community members later discovered that Odukoya was missing and began searching for him.
Olawumi said they subsequently received information that the cleric had been knocked down by a vehicle in the Ifo area of the state.
He added that the police took Odukoya to a hospital, where his identity was confirmed, while community members began arrangements to return his remains to the area.
The former CDA chairman said residents were aware that the couple had experienced disagreements in the past but had always settled their differences.
Meanwhile, the younger sister of the deceased evangelist claimed in a video circulating online that the couple had been involved in recurring domestic disputes.
She alleged that the couple had visited her in April following another disagreement and that the matter was eventually resolved at a police station.
She said she had advised them to exercise patience and avoid fighting, adding that she was shocked when she later received news of their deaths.
The wife was reportedly buried on the day of the incident, while Odukoya’s remains were buried on Wednesday, September 2.
Footage circulating online also showed some clerics performing burial rites over the remains of the evangelist at an undisclosed location.
However, the exact circumstances surrounding the deaths remained unclear as of press time.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the Ogun State Police Command’s Deputy Public Relations Officer, Opeyemi Oluborode, said the police had commenced an investigation.
“The police is investigating the incident,”