The two heaps of fresh sand behind the three-bedroom bungalow in Ogooluwa community, Akiode Ibogun, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, are all that remain of a tragedy that has left residents struggling to make sense of what happened.
Placed side by side behind the house, the heaps mark the graves of a husband and wife whose lives ended within hours of each other following a reported domestic dispute.
The house, built beside the Celestial Church of Christ, Iri Orun Parish owned by the couple, was deserted when our correspondent visited the community on Thursday. The church was also quiet and the stillness of the air in the environment was a pointer to the tragedy that has recently visited the neighborhood.
But for residents, the silence has not erased the horror of Monday, August 31, when Bidemi Odukoya, the Shepherd of Iri Orun Parish of the CCC, allegedly macheted his wife to death during a midnight domestic dispute before reportedly taking his own life.The incident reportedly occurred around 2am.
After allegedly attacking his wife, Odukoya, a father of three boys, reportedly fled the community and headed for the Coker junction, Ifo section of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, about 20 minutes drive away from Akiode community.
He was later alleged to have thrown himself in front of a moving truck, resulting in his instant death.Both husband and wife were buried beside their home on Monday evening.
For the residents of Akiode Ibogun, the incident remains difficult to comprehend, particularly because the couple had lived in the community for about nine or 10 years and were generally regarded as friendly and respectful.
The community leader said another report came around 7am that Odukoya had allegedly jumped in front of a moving truck at Ifo along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
“We thereafter sent some residents to go and confirm the report, which they did. The police at Ifo got involved and took it up from there,” he said.
According to Akiode, some people in Ifo told residents that Odukoya had been crossing the expressway repeatedly 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.”
