In a tragic turn of events at the Admiralty Homes Estate in Lekki, Lagos, a 67-year-old clergyman, Pastor Bolaji Olukotun, has died after reportedly being attacked and forcibly removed from his residence by suspected landlord agents amid a heated property takeover dispute.
A protracted rental conflict between Pastor Bolaji and his landlord was the root cause of the incident, according to a firsthand narrative provided by his legal representative, Barrister Akpobome Deniran.
Giving an account of his client’s final hours, Deniran said a distress call came in from Pastor Bolaji at approximately 2 pm on July 11. Deniran described his client’s voice as faint, shaky, and heavy with anguish, adding that the clergyman was clearly in distress and urgently begged him to rush over, insisting that he was on the verge of death.
According to Deniran, when he got to House B11 at Admiralty Homes Estate, he found Pastor Bolaji sprawled on the ground inside the compound, while the clergyman’s furniture, clothing, documents, and other household belongings had been scattered outside the premises—pointing clearly to a forced eviction—and he further alleged that the scene was manned by more than seven armed thugs, an armed mobile police officer, estate agent Blessing Idonor, and a prospective buyer identified only as Mr. Smith (Murphy), all of whom were present throughout the ordeal.
The incident occurred on Saturday, July 11, and the victim died in the early hours of the following Sunday after being rushed to a private hospital. Disagreement persists over the events leading to Pastor Olukotun’s demise. On one side, the clergyman’s relatives and lawyer argue that his death resulted from wounds sustained during a forced removal; on the other, the landlord’s attorney denies any eviction or assault, asserting instead that the deceased had already consumed a mysterious substance before authorities got there.
