Five family members found dead in Abeokuta

Tragedy struck at Temidire Community, in Sabo, Abeokuta North Local

Government area of Ogun State on Friday as a family of five including father, mother and their three children were found dead in their room.

The incident occurred at No 3, Ireti Akinbode area of the community.

Our correspondent gathered that the late Aliu Adeoye was a polygamist who married two wives.

He died with the younger wife identified as Iya aliya and the three children.

However, the first wife, and her children who slept in another room in the same six-room bungalow were safe.

It was gathered that the whole community woke up and found out that the five people were dead while the first wife and her children were safe.

Foul play was being suspected as the two wives were always at loggerheads.

Some people alleged that chemical odour was being perceived in the house of the deceased, while some others said the deaths could be as a result of the fumes from the generator at the back of the building.

A retiree who lived directly in front of the building but declined mentioning her name said it was the wailing of the first wife that woke members of the community only to find out that the people were dead.

A source said, “The wives are always fighting, cursing each other, it has got to a stage that the community leader had to intervene but all to no avail.”

Sources within the community said the first wife, whose name could not be ascertained, was almost lynched but she was saved by policemen from nearby Ilupeju divisional police headquarters.

A zonal leader in the community, Alhaji Abubakar Olowoorioke, explained that they were in the mosque in the early hours when a woman alerted them about the tragic incident.

Olowoorioke explained that he could not move closer to the place because of the shock but added that odours of chemicals could be perceived from inside the house.

The Police Public Relations officer in the state, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the incident but added the cause of the death was still shrouded in mystery and that postmortem would be carried out on the corpses to reveal the cause of their deaths.

He said, “The police found the body of five people in the building this morning, the cause of death is yet unknown. We also heard an allegation that some people wanted to lynch the other wife to the deceased and nearly set the building ablaze.

“We cannot ascertain the cause of death for now. There are allegations here and there but the police will do what needed to be done, that is postmortem, that will tell us the cause of death.”