Couple’s Deaths: “The Command Is Determined to Establish the Actual Circumstances” — CP Ojajuni

Couple’s Deaths: “The Command Is Determined to Establish the Actual Circumstances” — CP Ojajuni
The Ogun State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of a Celestial Church of Christ shepherd, Evangelist Abidemi Odukoya, and his wife in Akiode Ibogun, Ifo Local Government Area of the state.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, August 31, reportedly followed a domestic dispute at the couple’s residence in the Ogooluwa community.
The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, said the command was determined to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and would conduct a thorough investigation.
The police statement came amid conflicting accounts from residents regarding what may have triggered the violent confrontation between the couple.
The deceased pastor was the Shepherd-in-Charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Iri Orun Parish, Akiode Ibogun, where he had reportedly lived with his wife and their three children for several years.
According to information gathered from the community, the pastor allegedly attacked his wife during the confrontation, inflicting injuries that resulted in her death.
He reportedly fled the community after the incident.
Hours later, he was allegedly found at Coker Junction along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, where witnesses said he repeatedly crossed the highway before allegedly stepping in front of an approaching truck.
He reportedly died instantly.
The police have, however, not concluded their investigation into the circumstances surrounding either death.
The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Opeyemi Oluborode, who spoke on behalf of the command, said the case file was being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a comprehensive investigation.
“The command is very much aware of the case. The case file is currently being transferred to the SCID for diligent investigation to establish the facts surrounding the sad incidents,” Oluborode said.
The development followed reports from community members that the couple had allegedly experienced marital disagreements before the fatal incident.
A youth leader in the community, Seun Adelana, alleged that accusations of infidelity by both parties were among the issues that preceded the confrontation.
He claimed that the pastor had accused his wife of being involved with another man, while there were also allegations that the pastor was seeing another woman.
However, a neighbour, Mrs Oluwatoyin Oseni, gave a different account, saying the couple had allegedly been involved in repeated domestic disputes.
Oseni said she had previously assisted the woman after one of the alleged altercations and that the police had, at some point, intervened in the couple’s marital problems.
She further claimed that the couple had not spoken to each other since June following another disagreement.
The neighbour said the couple’s 14-year-old son raised the alarm after allegedly discovering that his father had attacked his mother.
She said she and another neighbour rushed to the house and found the woman lying lifeless on the floor.
Community leaders said the incident shocked residents because the couple had generally been regarded as friendly and peaceful.
The Baale of the community, Chief Taiwo Akiode, said residents found it difficult to reconcile the tragedy with their previous perception of the couple.
He said residents first alerted him at about 3 a.m. after contacting the police.
Akiode said the police subsequently visited the residence and documented the scene before information emerged that the pastor had died in Ifo.
Both husband and wife were later buried beside their residence on Monday.
The tragedy has also renewed concerns among residents about the dangers of allowing marital disagreements to escalate without timely intervention.
The Baale urged couples experiencing serious disagreements to seek counselling and other forms of intervention before conflicts degenerate into violence.
He said disagreements between couples should never be allowed to result in the loss of life.
The Ogun State Police Command has maintained that its investigation will determine the sequence of events and circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The investigation is expected to establish what occurred inside the couple’s residence before the wife’s death, the circumstances surrounding the pastor’s subsequent death and whether any other person played a role in the incident.
Editor’s note: I deliberately changed the framing from “kills wife over infidelity” to “violent domestic dispute” because the infidelity claims are allegations from community members, while the police have said the actual facts are still being investigated. This makes the story safer and more professionally defensible.