Neighbour killed my cousin after accusing him of playing roughly with his child — Relative

Peter Adum, the cousin of a 38-year-old Guidance and Counselling graduate of Benue State University, Mike Oje, who was beaten to death by an angry neighbour in Mowe-Ofada, Ogun State, tells AYOOLA OLASUPO about the circumstances surrounding his death and the family’s call for justice

What kind of person was Mike before his death?

He was a lovely person because we grew up and worked together. I was a younger cousin to Mike, but he was a very friendly person. We attended Benue State College of Education. After completing his studies there, he proceeded to Benue State University, where he studied Guidance and Counselling. He had just graduated before the incident happened.

How old was he?

He was 38 years old.

What particular work was he doing before his death?

According to what he told us, there was a house at Bluestone Estate that belonged to a company called iLOT. The house was initially used as a prize for whoever correctly predicted the winner of the World Cup.

The person who won it was expected to take possession of it. So, my brother was asked to be in charge of the house, keeping it clean till the winner emerged, and it was supposed to be a one-month contract.

However, when the person who won the house was taken there, he complained that it was not the exact address he had seen online. He said the address advertised was about five minutes from the road along Ikeja GRA, but the actual location was different. So, he was not comfortable with the house.

The company later put the property up for sale and asked my brother to look after it and advertise it online until they found a buyer. That was the work he was doing. It was initially supposed to be a one-month contract.

How familiar was Mike with the residents of the estate?

He had worked there for about two months before his death. He was a jovial person who used to play with everybody and did not make trouble with anyone.

Could you tell us what happened on August 26?

That day, Mike had just returned from work. The child of a man, Temitope Adebiri, who lived with them on the same street, always played with him. The boy was about three or four years old, so he ran towards Mike and hugged him. Mike hugged the boy and threw him playfully in the air and caught him, before going into his room to sleep.

While he was sleeping, Adebiri, the father of the boy, came outside and knocked on his door. When Mike came out, the man accused him of playing roughly with his child. Mike explained that he had only hugged the boy and lifted him into the air.

That was how the man then started slapping Mike. He picked up a bamboo stick from the ground and hit him about three times. Mike fell and died on the spot.

Where exactly did the bamboo hit him?

He was hit around the left side of his chest.

Did Mike and Adebiri have any previous disagreement?

I was not aware of any disagreement between them. Nobody told me about one, and Mike never mentioned anything to me. As far as I knew, they played and joked together whenever they met.

What happened after Mike collapsed?

That place is a developing site where people used to work, so someone called me and said someone had killed my brother. I asked the person to tell me which of my brothers he was referring to, and he said it was Mike.

I was shocked but could not believe it, so I asked them to take me there. We went there in cars and on motorcycles. When we got there, we saw Mike lying dead on the ground.

It was my first time visiting the estate. We had to use a car and motorcycles because the place was very far inside the bush. By the time we arrived, Mike was already dead. After Adebiri allegedly killed him, he ran away.

He did not kill Mike inside his own house. The people on the estate later took Mike’s body to the man’s house and left it on his corridor. The incident happened around 2 pm, but we arrived there around 4 pm because the place was very far away. That was where we met Mike’s body.

Some of our people came angry and even wanted to burn the man’s house, but the only person we found there was his wife. She was the one who narrated what had happened when we sat her down.

I asked her whether Mike had any disagreement with her husband, but she said she was not aware of any. She confirmed that Mike and her husband used to play and joke together.

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What steps did the family take afterwards?

We took Mike’s body to the mortuary. The man’s wife went with us because we had insisted that she remain with us until her husband was produced. So, we went to the Ogun State Teaching Hospital in Sagamu, where the necessary procedures were carried out, and later returned to the Owode-Egba Police Station.

The police eventually arrested the woman’s husband. By the special grace of God, we have collected the autopsy form, and the autopsy will be done.

How was Adebiri arrested?

According to the police at Owode Police Division, they said Adebiri, who is now at the Eleweran Police Station, ran to his lawyer’s house. The lawyer later brought him to their station. I was also told that he took his two children, including the boy Mike had been playing with, and fled with them, leaving only his wife at home.

Has he admitted to hitting Mike?

Yes, he admitted it, but Mike is dead, and he has not been buried yet.

What happened when you took Mike’s body to the mortuary?

Before taking him to the mortuary, we took pictures and recorded videos of his body, including the area where he was hit. The injuries and marks were still visible. When we got to the mortuary, the family took responsibility for everything. We have been paying for all the expenses ourselves.

What was the reaction of Mike’s family when they heard about his death?

We were devastated when we heard the news, and all we want now is justice for Mike. Mike’s father is late, but his mother is still alive. She has been deeply affected by the incident.

When I called one of my brothers to tell him that Mike was dead, he was shocked. We also took him to Babcock University Teaching Hospital, where we spent more than N1.5m on his treatment because his blood pressure kept rising. Right now, we have spent a lot of money, and he has not recovered yet.

Although he is feeling better now, he has not fully recovered. It has been a terrible shock, and there is nobody really supporting him. We have also told Mike’s mother, who is at home, but she keeps crying and asking to see her son.

However, we cannot take the body home until the necessary procedures, including the autopsy, have been completed.

What dreams or responsibilities did Mike leave behind?

He had many responsibilities ahead of him. He had really suffered and gone through primary and secondary school, the College of Education, and the university. He had just graduated and was hoping to commence the National Youth Service Corps scheme. He was expected to support and repay his parents, and contribute to the family.

Was he married?

No, he was not married yet, and he did not have a child.

Can you tell us about some of the plans Mike had shared with you before his death?

He had shared many plans with us, his family members. He had a girlfriend whom he intended to marry. He had even rented a room-and-parlour self-contained apartment in our area in Ikorodu and was planning to settle down with her. He also wanted to raise some money to start a small business after getting married.

Can you remember the last conversation you had with him?

On Tuesday, August 25, Mike, two other brothers, and I were together at Mike’s house. We discussed many things, including how our future could become better. We talked about his marriage plans and how we would organise the wedding. We also discussed what he hoped to achieve before December.

We even left his house around 11 pm or almost midnight. Before leaving, we advised him not to go to work the following Wednesday because one of our friends was holding a naming ceremony that day, and we had planned to attend the ceremony together.

What do you think should be done to ensure that the circumstances surrounding Mike’s death are properly investigated?

We do not know what else to do. We are only relying on the government and the law. The law says that nobody has the right to take another person’s life, and anyone who does so should face the consequences.

We have done everything within our power. Now, we are relying on the law to determine the justice that Mike and his family deserve.