Family members, friends, associates, and colleagues of Ahaji Rabiu Owolabi Oyenuga were saddened by the news of his death on the morning of November 5, 2020. It was reported that he met his death in the hands of his Beninois house-helps, Biodun and Joseph, who sneaked into his apartment in the middle of the night, tortured, stole from him and left him dead.
It was said that the house helps, who perpetrated the heinous crime, were from Cotonou in Benin Republic and have been working with the late Oyenuga for a while. Daughter of the deceased, Adetola Oyenuga, who spoke with the press, said the boys carted away five hundred thousand naira (#500, 000), phones, jewelries and other valuables.
According to her, the boys accessed the room through the ceiling and came out of the visitor’s toilet, which is adjacent to his bedroom. They gagged him, strangled him to death, and then took away some valuables.
Eyewitness affirmed that the masks used by the criminals were left at the gate of his house. After the assailants ran away, they reached the housemaid through a phone call to find out the situation of things in the house. The maid had been taken into Police custody for further interrogation. In an effort to get a lead on the fleeing murderers, the Police have called the middleman, who brought the two house helps to the late Oyenuga, but he hasn’t been picking his call and no one knows of his whereabouts.
The late Rabiu Owolabi Oyenuga was a house developer and businessman, who lived in his Ikorodu hometown till the night of his murder by his foreign house helps. He lived in his Alogba Estate, where he had landed properties in the adjoining Ikorodu GRA. Other of his businesses included investments in different sectors and he owned some herds of cows, a property which earned him the nickname, “Baba Onimalu”. Many who knew him described the late Rabiu Owolabi Oyenuga as a socialite and a philanthropist. They said he was very kind and perhaps, too friendly to people. According to some, the late developer was too close to his house helps and allowed them free entry into his private chambers; thus, making the boys know details of his room and how they made through.
The late Rabiu Owolabi Oyenuga was given an 8-day Firdaus prayer at his Ikorodu residence. Many Islamic clerics from within and outside Ikorodu participated in the prayer session for the departed soul. When he was alive, Oyenuga was a devoted Muslim and participated in community activities. He was the Aare Adini of Oriwu Central Mosque before his demise. His commitment and contribution towards Islamic activities in the division were recognised by the Islamic community of Ikorodu. On the day of the Firdaus prayers, two of his sons were turbaned. Many Imams, who participated in the prayer rites, were adequately paid.
Many mourners, who attended the Firdaus prayer, recounted how nice the late Oyenuga was to people. They said he was too open and nice to a fault. According to many close to him, he was too close to his foreign house-helps, who had access to his bedroom and knew all the details. The assailants, who murdered their boss, were too close to him to the point of learning his personal information and they knew when he received huge sums of cash and valuable items into the house.
A neighbour close to the late Oyenuga’s house, attested that one of the foreign house-helps, on the day of the murder, bought airtime from her and made a call to an unknown person, where he was saying to him/her not to forget their arrangement for the night. That very night, Rabiu Owolabi was murdered by his house-helps and their accomplices. The foreign house boys had company from unknown accomplices, who joined them to murder their boss in his bedroom.
According to sources, the late Oyenuga struggled with the assailants in his room but was overpowered by four men against his single might. Autopsy confirmed that he struggled with his assailants before he was overpowered and murdered. Many mourners believe the evil house boys wouldn’t have carried out their heinous scheme against their boss if they weren’t privy of some information about his personal affairs. Some advised that people with house-helps should restrict them to the living room and not reveal personal details in the house to them. The murderers are still at large and the law enforcement agencies are still trailing them.