…Wife, son say death mysterious
The family of a 54-year-old man, who died mysteriously in his car, is still at a loss over what might have caused the death of their breadwinner.
The deceased, Mr. Michael Dare Ojo, who lived at No. 20 Kampala Street, Lambe, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, was found dead in his car at Papalanto, Ifo, several kilometres away from his residence.
It was gathered that the family of the deceased was contacted by the Police a few days after the incident.
Our correspondent also learnt that the late Ojo, who purportedly embarked on a journey without anyone’s knowledge to that area where his body was found in his car, had no business being in that environment, as he worked mainly in Lagos.
“We don’t know what actually led to his death,” said Femi Ojo, the eldest child of the deceased, who spoke to our correspondent.
The 21-year-old 200 level student of the University of Lagos said the incident was still a shock to the family.
He, however, hinted that an autopsy would be conducted, adding that other forensic investigations by the police were underway.
He said, “Nobody was at home when the incident occurred; I was in school and my two younger ones were in boarding house, while my mother had also travelled.
“We were only called by the police on Wednesday, last week, and since then, we have yet to be told what caused his death. But the police are investigating it.”
The distraught wife of the late Ojo, Mrs. Bose Ojo, spoke to our correspondent, describing her husband’s sudden demise as “mysterious.”
She said that before she left Lagos for a function outside the state, her husband did not complain of any illness.
Bose noted that throughout the one week she was away, she was in constant touch with her
husband.
She, however, added that three days before the day she was contacted by the police, she tried to call her husband’s two mobile lines, but they were not reachable.
Mrs. Ojo said, “We were both talking on the phone. But about three days before we were contacted through his brother, Dele Asaolu, his phone numbers stopped going through.
“I became very worried and decided to return home from my trip. It was shortly after my arrival that the police, having informed my in-law, then called at our residence, telling me and other members of the family about the incident. I was shocked and couldn’t believe my ears.”
Our correspondent observed some sympathisers, who visited the family of the deceased, signing the condolence register placed on the staircase.
Some of them, who spoke to our correspondent, described the incident as unfortunate, adding that the deceased was a “gentle and loving man.”
“We are very shocked at his death,” one of the residents, Mr. Tayo Akingbade said, adding, “He was a good man; easy going and loving. I have known him to be such a nice man since I came to this area some three years ago. His death is so unfortunate and we are going to miss him in the neighborhood.”
Another resident, who preferred his name not to be mentioned, said, “The deceased was a man with a large heart. His death is a colossal loss to the community. He was always ready to contribute to the development of this area.”
The resident said what baffled him about Ojo’s death was the fact that there was “no particular cause linked yet to his demise.”
When contacted, brother of the deceased, Mr. Dele Asaolu, who was reluctant to comment on the incident, said, “What led to my brother’s (late Ojo’s) death is still unknown to all of us. The police are on top of the matter, and I am making consultations with the family.
“Nobody has much information about the death. We need to be patient and get more facts before we can ascertain the cause of his death. If I say anything now, I won’t be giving you the factual information.”
Late Ojo’s corpse has since been deposited at the morgue of the State General Hospital, Ifo, while his car has been towed to the area police division.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident.
“Further investigation is on to unravel the mystery behind the death of late Michael Ojo,”
he said.
