Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
The police in Abuja have detained one Usman Adamu as a suspect in the death of a young woman, Jo
y Odama. According to a statement released earlier today by a police spokesman Jimoh Moshood, Mr. Adamu is being detained as the police continue their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ms. Odama’s death in the suspect’s apartment in Abuja.
Apart from Ms. Odama’s death, another young woman in the suspect’s residence, Victoria Ezekiel, fell gravely ill but was resuscitated at the Federal Medical Center in Jabi, Abuja.
The police spokesman disclosed that the Mr. Adamu’s investigation for culpable homicide began after a law firm representing Philomena Odama, the mother of the deceased young woman, wrote a petition to the Inspector General of Police. In the petition, dated January 5, 2017, Mrs. Odama urged the IGP to order an investigation into her daughter’s death in Mr. Adamu’s apartment.
The late Joy Odama was a second-year student of Mass Communication at Cross River State University of Technology. The police statement said she “died mysteriously in the flat of Alhaji Usman Adamu located at Ibro Quarters, Karmo, Abuja on 21/12/2016.”
According to the police report, on December 18, 2016, one Elizabeth Okpata James asked Ms. Joy Odama to go with her to Mr. Adamu’s house along with another woman, Martha Hassan. The report added that Mrs. Philomena Odama later met Mr. Adamu “who promised to offer her a job with the
Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).” On December 20, 2016, the suspect requested that Joy Odama come to his apartment to help take care of his ill house-help while he sought the services of a medical doctor.
However, when Joy Odama’s mother called the suspect the next day to ask after her daughter, Mr. Adamu reportedly pretended not to know the young woman. The next day, the distraught mother was invited to Karmo Police Division where she was informed that her daughter, Joy Odama, and Victoria Ezekiel had become unconscious the previous day in Mr. Adamu’s home and were rushed to the Federal Medical Center, Jabi where her daughter Joy Odama was pronounced dead but the other young woman regained consciousness.
The police said the hospital placed Ms. Ezekiel on oxygen and treated her for conditions that included carbon monoxide poisoning, dehydration, vomiting, and headaches.
The police spokesman disclosed that two autopsies were done at the National Hospital, Abuja to ascertain Ms. Joy Odama’s cause of death. He said the first autopsy, done by Dr. Jibrin Paul, was inconclusive, but the second, carried out by Dr. Wilson Akhinwu, determined that the cause of death was “carbon monoxide poisoning from generator fumes” aggravated by “a pre-existing cardiomyopathy.” The autopsy ruled out the presence of cocaine in the deceased.
The police spokesman revealed that Mr. Adamu would remain in detention, adding that the case file would be sent to Federal Director of
Public Prosecutions for legal advice and further action.
The police urged the family of Ms. Odama to remain patient, promising that police investigators would do a thorough job and ensure that justice was done in the case.
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