Ogun Tragedy: Celestial Evangelist, Wife Die After Domestic Dispute

A Celestial Church of Christ evangelist, Abidemi Odukoya, and his wife, Adenike, have died in separate circumstances 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, after the couple allegedly became involved in a domestic dispute that escalated into a physical confrontation. According to residents, the altercation left Adenike unconscious and seriously injured, while her husband reportedly fled the residence. A former Chairman of the Community Development Association in the area, Adejimi Olawumi, said residents were alerted by cries for help and subsequently discovered the woman lying in a pool of blood. Olawumi said efforts were made to find transportation to take Adenike to hospital, but the community later discovered that her husband was missing. He said members of the CDA launched a search for Odukoya and later received information that he had been struck by a vehicle in the Ifo area of the state. The police reportedly took the cleric to a hospital, where his identity was confirmed. He later died from injuries sustained in the incident. The circumstances surrounding the couple’s deaths have generated concern among residents, particularly because the two deaths occurred within a short period of each other. Odukoya’s younger sister also claimed in a video circulating online that the couple had experienced repeated disagreements before their deaths. She said the couple had visited her in April following an earlier altercation and that the matter was eventually resolved at a police station. According to her, she had advised both of them to exercise patience and avoid physical confrontations. The latest incident has therefore raised fresh concerns about domestic violence and the dangers of unresolved marital disputes. However, claims circulating online about the motive for the altercation, including allegations of infidelity, have not been independently established. The Ogun State Police Command confirmed that it was investigating the incident. The command’s Deputy Public Relations Officer, Opeyemi Oluborode, told PUNCH that investigations were ongoing but did not disclose further details about what led to the deaths. The wife was reportedly buried on the day of the incident, while Odukoya was buried on Wednesday, September 2. The tragedy has left members of the community and the couple’s relatives searching for answers as police continue their investigation into the events that preceded their deaths. Residents said the couple were known to have had disagreements in the past but reportedly settled their differences. The incident has also renewed calls for couples experiencing persistent conflict to seek help before disagreements escalate into violence. As investigations continue, authorities are expected to establish the precise circumstances surrounding the couple’s deaths and determine whether any criminal offence was committed. For now, the police have not publicly established that Odukoya killed his wife, and the allegations surrounding the incident remain subject to investigation.