Pastor dies after fight over eviction in Lekki

A 67-year-old tenant, Pastor Bolaji Olukotun, has died after he was reportedly attacked and forcefully evicted from his home at Admiralty Homes Estate, Lekki, Lagos. This happened during a disputed property takeover by suspected agents of the landlord.

PUNCH Metro found out on Saturday that the incident took place on Saturday, July 11, and Pastor Bolaji died early Sunday morning after being rushed to a private hospital.

Eyewitness accounts from his lawyer, Barrister Akpobome Deniran, show that the incident came from a rental dispute between Pastor Bolaji and his landlord. Deniran explained that Bolaji had rented the apartment with a promise to buy it when his lease ended. But when the lease expired, and the landlord made an offer, Bolaji could not meet the payment terms.

This failure to meet the sales agreement led the landlord to tell Bolaji to leave so the property could be sold to someone else. Deniran shared that he got a call from Bolaji at about 2 pm on July 11, where the pastor was in distress, saying, "I’m dying, please come to the house, I’m dying." His voice was weak and filled with pain.

When Deniran arrived at House B11, Admiralty Homes Estate, he found the pastor lying on the ground in the compound. He noticed that Bolaji's furniture, clothes, documents, and belongings were scattered outside, showing he had been forcefully removed from his home.

The lawyer claimed that more than seven armed men, a police officer, estate agent Blessing Idonor, and a potential buyer named Mr. Smith (Murphy) were present during the incident. Deniran described Bolaji's condition at the scene, saying, "He was in a state of severe physical distress, vomiting, groaning in excruciating pain, and crying out for help."

Mr. Smith told Deniran that he came to take possession of the property because he had bought it and that "the eviction was lawful." Idonor reportedly backed this claim, saying the previous owner had allowed the eviction and was watching it on CCTV.

Deniran said the armed men and the police officer denied hitting the pastor. He recounted their words: "They alleged that he had ingested a substance and was merely ‘pretending and acting drama.’ They laughed at him while he lay on the ground in pain."

Deniran insisted that they had no right to carry out such an eviction without a court order. He warned them they would be held responsible for their actions. When he asked for proof of ownership or a court order, Mr. Smith allegedly refused and told Deniran to take him to court.

The lawyer said he felt threatened after he tried to take photos. He claimed a mobile officer aimed his gun at him and threatened to shoot if he took any pictures. He also said the officer later searched his phone but found no photos and told Deniran he was "lucky."

Deniran then contacted the estate's head of security, Angela, who admitted letting the team into the estate after the owner called her. When asked about any court order or ownership papers, she allegedly said, "Since you are a lawyer, you know what to do. I am not going to disclose further details to you."

Heavy flooding made it hard to move the victim until a water truck driver helped take him out of the estate. He was then rushed to Udeko Medical Centre in the Chevron area of Lekki. Deniran stated that Olukotun kept complaining of severe stomach pain during treatment before he reported the incident to Ilasan Police Station that evening.

Deniran later received a call from Olukotun's son, who said his father was on oxygen. Hours later, the doctor told Deniran that the pastor had died. "I refused to accept the report and called back some hours later. I was given the same devastating news," he said.

Deniran claimed, "Pastor Bolaji Olukotun is dead. His death was a direct result of the unlawful and brutal eviction carried out by people who took the law into their own hands. No court order was obtained. No legal process was followed."

Ayodeji Olukotun, the late Bolaji’s son, said his father had a rent-to-own deal on the property but was later told by the owner not to sell and to vacate instead. He mentioned that witnesses said estate agents, a police officer, and suspected thugs arrived at the property that day.

Ayodeji alleged that they brought his father outside, claiming he drank something. He questioned, "If someone drank something and was in pain, why leave him outside instead of trying to save him?" He also disputed claims that his father packed his belongings voluntarily.

The family expected the police to act quickly and question everyone present during the incident, but Ayodeji said they had not heard back after making the report. He called for a thorough investigation, insisting that they wanted justice.

Attempts to reach the landlord, Chikeluba Francis, were unsuccessful as calls went unanswered and messages were not replied to at the time of this report. However, the landlord's lawyer, Caleb Onwe, denied that Olukotun was forcibly evicted. "Nobody was evicted," Onwe said.

Onwe claimed he was not aware that the tenant had died. He explained that the property owner, who is currently outside Nigeria, had been trying to sell the apartment after the tenant's lease expired. According to him, officials, with a police officer, visited the property on Saturday to inspect it after the tenant allegedly agreed to vacate.

He asserted that when they arrived, they found Bolaji already packing his belongings. "He was weak; he couldn’t move. He said that he was tired of fighting, and he took something."

Onwe stated that those on the scene did not harm the pastor but called his lawyer and arranged for him to go to the hospital, despite the flooding. "They were the ones who even called his lawyer. Because of the rain, no Uber could pick him up," he said.

He dismissed any claims linking the visitors to the pastor’s death, insisting that anyone making such claims needs to prove them. When asked why a police officer accompanied the group if the tenant had agreed to leave, Onwe said he was not directly involved and referred further questions to a colleague.

When contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said she could not comment as the complainant had not returned after reporting. The events around Pastor Olukotun’s death remain unclear. While his family and lawyer say he died from injuries during a forced eviction, the landlord's lawyer insists that no eviction or attack happened and claims the pastor had already taken an unknown substance before they arrived.