Two fresh graves sitting side by side behind a three-bedroom bungalow in Ogooluwa community, Akiode Ibogun, Ogun State, have become a grim reminder of a domestic dispute that allegedly claimed the lives of a Celestial Church of Christ shepherd and his wife within hours.
When Punch visited the Ifo Local Government Area community on Thursday, the couple’s residence and the adjoining CCC Iri Orun Parish were deserted.
Residents, however, were still struggling to come to terms with the events of Monday, August 31, when the church shepherd, Bidemi Odukoya, allegedly attacked his wife with a machete during a late-night disagreement.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 2 am.
Odukoya, a father of three boys, was said to have fled the community afterwards before allegedly taking his own life along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
The couple were buried beside their home later that Monday.
The Baale of Akiode community, Chief Taiwo Akiode, described the incident as unprecedented in the area, saying the couple had lived among residents for nearly a decade without giving him reason to expect such a tragedy.
He said, “This unfortunate incident is the first of its kind in this environment. It is a tragedy of monumental proportion that no one saw coming.
“Since over nine or 10 years that they have been living with us, you don’t get to hear that the couple are troublesome or quarrelsome.”
The community leader said the circumstances of their deaths had left residents bewildered because the couple appeared to have maintained a cordial relationship publicly.
Akiode said his first indication that something was wrong came at about 3 am when residents arrived at his home to report the alleged attack.
The residents had earlier contacted the police and were later asked to notify the community’s traditional leadership.
“I was told that the Shepherd had killed his wife, that he macheted her. I could not believe my ears until we got to their residence and met the woman in a pool of her blood,” he said.
Akiode said there appeared to be injuries consistent with a machete attack, while a stool allegedly used during the altercation was also found at the scene.
Police officers later visited and documented the scene, but Odukoya could not be found.
“At that point,” Akiode said, residents believed the shepherd had fled after realising the gravity of what had happened.
Shepherd Found Dead On Expressway
Several hours later, another report reached the community that Odukoya had died at Ifo, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Akiode said some residents were dispatched to verify the information before the police in Ifo took over the matter.
According to accounts received by the community leader, Odukoya was seen repeatedly crossing the highway before sitting on the median.
“Some people at Ifo told us that when the deceased got to the expressway, he was crossing the expressway back and forth repeatedly. He later sat on the divider, after which he saw an oncoming truck and jumped before it and died,” he said.
The wife was buried at about 5 pm, while Odukoya’s remains arrived later after police documentation and were interred beside hers after 7 pm.
While some community leaders said they were unaware of serious marital problems between the couple, a neighbour, Mrs Oluwatoyin Oseni, painted a different picture.
Oseni alleged that the couple had been involved in repeated domestic disputes, with one recent confrontation requiring her to assist the wife afterwards.
“Sincerely, Mummy Daniel and her husband, whom we fondly called Iri Orun, have always engaged in domestic fights. Recently, I had to help take care of the wife after their usual fight,” she said.
She added that the police had previously intervened in one disagreement, leading neighbours to believe the crisis had been resolved.
Oseni claimed residents only learnt after the deaths that the couple had reportedly not been on speaking terms since June.
According to Oseni, the couple’s 14-year-old first child, Daniel, raised the alarm at about 2 am.
She said she and another neighbour rushed to the residence after the teenager told them his father had attacked his mother.
Oseni said, “By the time myself and one other neighbour got to the residence of the couple, we discovered the lifeless body of Mummy Daniel with a broken head, all covered in blood, on the floor.
“As I was asking him why he would go to the extent of killing his wife, he calmly said that he too was as good as gone. But because he was holding the cutlass, we could not move closer.”
According to her, Odukoya later entered the house, leaving the neighbours unaware that he had subsequently left the community.
The community youth leader, Seun Adelana, said residents had heard allegations that mutual suspicions of infidelity contributed to the couple’s marital crisis.
“Allegations of infidelity from both the husband and wife were said to have been the major reason responsible for this sad event,” Adelana said.
He claimed Odukoya suspected his wife of having another relationship, while some residents also alleged that the shepherd was involved with another woman.
The Asiwaju of Ibogun Akiode, Chief Oluwasegun Adeboye, said residents only became aware of the extent of the couple’s alleged marital difficulties after their deaths.
Adeboye said he subsequently heard that the dispute had reached court and that the couple had been encouraged to attempt a reconciliation.
“We even heard that they have already taken their case to court and they were asked to go back home and see if they could amicably resolve their differences, after which they return to the court for the next course of action,” he said.
According to the 76-year-old community leader, they were reportedly due to return to court on Wednesday, two days after their deaths.
Akiode said the incident should serve as a warning about allowing domestic disagreements to escalate into violence.
“It is worrisome that this could happen between husband and wife. It calls for lots of sober reflection. We should know that even if we disagree as couples, it should not be to the extent that life will be lost,” he said.
He urged couples experiencing serious marital problems to seek intervention before their disagreements deteriorate.
“We should also not wait for things to degenerate if we are having challenges with our marriage. We should seek help and counselling before things get out of hand,” he added.
The Ogun State Police Command confirmed that it had commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding both deaths.
The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Opeyemi Oluborode, said the case was being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
“The command is very much aware of the case. The case file is currently being transferred to the SCID for diligent investigation into knowing the actual facts surrounding the sad incidents,” Oluborode said.
