1 month ago
32
By Esther Onyegbulam
The usually quiescent Bovita central community successful Badagry, Lagos State, has been thrown into mourning pursuing the gruesome execution of a 28-year-old artisan, Ayienugba Ezekiel. His lifeless assemblage was discovered successful an abandoned food pond, with his hands tied firmly down his back.
Read Also: 110-year-old Ezinne Nnatu: ‘I consciousness bad when I miss Sunday mass’
For residents, the quality dispersed similar wildfire connected Saturday night, of September 13, 2025, leaving shock, fear, and unanswered questions connected its trail.
My satellite has been shattered — Widow
When Saturday Vanguard visited the family’s humble home, the ambiance was dense with grief, arsenic the calamity has near a spread that whitethorn ne'er beryllium filled for the young wife, 24-year-old Abiola. Clutching her toddler lad to her chest, she spoke successful breached words, her eyes swollen from endless tears. “On Saturday morning, my hubby went retired to ticker shot wrong the community. Later, I called him due to the fact that our state ran retired portion I was cooking. He came back, took the cylinder, refilled it, and returned. After that, helium went to the pig workplace to provender his animals”.
Her dependable quivered arsenic she recalled their past repast together: “That evening, we ate earlier helium told me, astir 6 p.m., that helium was going to a day party. When helium didn’t instrumentality by 9 p.m., I started calling his phone, but it was switched off. I was disquieted due to the fact that helium usually didn’t enactment retired late.”
With tears streaming down her face, Abiola recalled the infinitesimal her neighbour brought chilling quality that a assemblage had been spotted wrong the aged food pond adjacent to the venue of the enactment her hubby attended .
She said: “When we got there, we couldn’t find him astatine first. My elder member entered the pond to hunt until helium recovered my husband. His hands were tied down his back. My satellite has been shattered. We’ve lone been joined 3 years. He was truthful excited astir taking our lad to schoolhouse for the archetypal clip connected Monday. Unfortunately, helium is not live to bash it. Now, I conscionable privation justness for his murder.”
Ayienugba Ezekiel’s lifeless assemblage was discovered successful this pond. Case of murder
Her brother, Razak, who was the archetypal to propulsion Ezekiel retired of the swampy pond, relived the fearfulness of that night. “When I entered the pond, the h2o was lone up to my waist. I kept searching with my hands until I felt him. He was kneeling, his hands tied. We dragged him out, snapped pictures, and rushed him to Badagry General Hospital. But the doc confirmed him dead,” helium narrated.
His dependable hardened arsenic helium explained wherefore the household believed it was murder. “What made america definite helium didn’t drown was that erstwhile we pressed his stomach, nary h2o came out. He was killed earlier being dumped there.” The household aboriginal reported the lawsuit astatine the constabulary presumption and deposited his assemblage astatine the mortuary astir 2 a.m.
Alleged enactment fight
Community sources alleged that a scuffle broke retired during the party, and the celebrant allegedly ordered Ezekiel to beryllium tied. However, what happened afterwards remains a enigma to beryllium unravelled by the Police who person commenced probe .
A nonmigratory who simply gave his sanction arsenic Ben, said but for the blast of the music, Ezekiel’s outcry of assistance could person been heard.
According to him, “In this community, erstwhile radical big parties, the euphony is usually truthful large that you can’t perceive what’s happening nearby. That’s wherefore galore radical didn’t cognize thing had happened until his assemblage was found.”
Police wade in
The Lagos State Police Command, done the Badagry Division, has confirmed launching an probe into the matter. Saturday Vanguard learned that statements person been taken from household members and eyewitnesses, portion efforts were underway to way down those contiguous astatine the party.
Meanwhile, fearfulness inactive grips Bovita arsenic residents grapple with the chilling world of the killing. Many whispered astir Ezekiel’s jovial nature, his dedication to his young family, and his untimely death, which has near his woman and toddler uncertain of tomorrow.
English (US) ·