• Home
• Columnist
• Videos
• Artist
  • Musicians
  • Actors
  • Comedians
• Notable Nigerians
• Legend Dies
• Articles
  • Nigeria Articles
• Photos
• Submit Article

The circumstances surrounding the death of Apagun Olumide, an architect and tourism expert, in Ogun State are still dark and foggy

The circumstances surrounding the death of Apagun Olumide, tourism promoter and close ally of Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun State, are still mired in controversy. While the police ruled out criminal intent in the death of the tourism expert, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and even Olumide’s family think otherwise.

On March 16, Olumide, who was also an Egba chief, got drowned in a lake near the Golf Resort Hotel owned by him.

 Ikemefuna Okoye, Ogun State commissioner of police, had said that there were no signs of violence or torture on the body of the deceased. He then implied that the deceased may have committed suicide. The suicide theory was later corroborated with reports credited to an unnamed associate of Olumide who alleged that the deceased had earlier called Adeyemi, his lawyer, and hinted him that in the next few minutes, he would commit suicide because he was fed up with the turn of his businesses and how the Ogun State government had singled him out for destruction.

Olumide had been having a running battle with the Ibikunle Amosun-led Ogun State government over some of his properties that had either been seized or demolished by the state government. The state government had seized the 150-room Golf Resort Hotel, Abeokuta, and revoked its certificate of occupancy through one of the state Gazettes, stating that the land on which the hotel was built was illegally acquired and that the resort had been built with state funds by Daniel, who had merely used Olumide as a front. The governor, who also revoked the title document of the Golf Resort, said the revocation of certificate of occupancy of Olumide’s property’s was sequel to the recommendation of the Ogun State Judicial Commission of Enquiry on Land Matters headed by Justice Abiodun Akinyemi. All these problems and the recent interrogation of Olumide by the EFCC fuelled the speculation that he must have committed suicide.

But the suicide theory was dismissed by the EFCC and the family of the deceased. Sources at the EFCC said the commission’s conclusion was based on the fact that Olumide was at its head office on that fateful day of the incident with a request for the release of his international passport to enable him travel abroad.  But the commission was said to have asked him to come with the request in writing. Olumide then promised to return on Monday, March19, with the said written request. What the EFCC could not understand was what would a man who was at the brink of committing suicide do with his international passport.

The son of the deceased also refused to entertain any thought that his father committed suicide. Seyi Olumide, who spoke on behalf of the family, said his father had not been troubled in any way to warrant the committal of suicide.

The Ogun State government is also suspicious that Olumide must have been murdered and not that he committed suicide as was being widely reported. The government, with the assistance of the police, ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of his death. By press time last week, the result of the autopsy had not been released.

 Olumide, an architect, had on the fateful day he died, reportedly ordered his driver to drive him to the premises of the Golf Resort Hotel located behind the governor’s office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, at about 8:30 p.m. On reaching the hotel, he told the driver to go home and bring his steward only to jump into the lake before the arrival of the driver and the steward. When the driver returned with the steward and they could not find their boss, they alerted his family members. His body was later recovered. He wore a white kaftan with beads on his wrists and had new currency notes of hundred Naira in his pocket. There was no suicide note left behind by the deceased.

Many friends and associates of the deceased have been expressing regret over his demise. Daniel, former governor of Ogun State, described the death of Olumide as a loss to the promotion of tourism, entrepreneurship and economic development of Egbaland.  He said Olumide was a friend and brother, who contributed immensely to the development of Olumo Rock as an international tourist centre.  

 Olusegun Osoba, another former governor of Ogun State, said that Olumide’s death was unfortunate.