A gospel artiste, Matthew Ogundele, and three members of his crew have been found dead inside a music studio in the Abraham Adesanya area of Ajah, Lagos State.
The crew members were identified as Itunu Ogundele, Joseph Sanya, and a blogger, Matthew Awosanya, popularly known as JoesTv.
The victims were invited to minister on Tuesday, the second day of a three-day birthday praise programme organised by another female gospel artiste, Olanireti Akinbola.
According to The PunchOnline, a police source, who spoke to its correspondent on Saturday, said the group finished their session late and decided to sleep over at the studio, where their remains were discovered the following day, Wednesday.
“The convener invited some gospel artistes to minister during her three-day birthday praise, which started on Monday. Segun Praise was scheduled to minister on the second day and came with his crew. The session started in the evening and ran late, so they decided to stay overnight in the studio. It was the following morning that we heard that their lifeless bodies were found in the studio,” the source disclosed.
A Christian blog, Omojesu, in a Facebook post seen by our correspondent on Saturday, stated that the deceased could not return home due to the distance of the studio from their residences.
“In pursuit of a better life, a blogger known as JoesMediaTv and three musicians were reportedly invited to perform at a virtual birthday praise event at a studio around Ajah. Due to the distance of the studio from their homes, they decided to stay overnight at the location. Allegedly, they all passed away in their sleep,” the post read.
The case was reported at the Ajiwe Police Station, Ajah, while colleagues and friends of the deceased have taken to social media to demand justice.
Pictures of the victims circulating online showed blood stains around their noses, ears and mouths, raising concerns and speculation over the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Confirming the incident on Saturday, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said the matter was reported on Wednesday by the owner of the studio, Akintayo Akinbola, who is also the husband of the celebrant.
According to her, Akintayo stated that he left the artistes at his music studio located inside the HFP Shopping Complex on Tuesday night after buying food for them, as they were preparing for a music concert.
“He explained that the artistes returned to the studio after collecting the food, while he went home. However, at about 11am on Wednesday, he returned to the studio and discovered that the door was locked from the inside. Alarmed, he called for help, and the door was eventually forced open. On entering the studio, the lifeless bodies of the four artistes were discovered,” Adebisi said.
She added that detectives visited the scene, photographs were taken, and no marks of violence were found on the bodies.
“The corpses were taken to the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, where a medical doctor confirmed them dead. The bodies were later deposited at the Mainland General Hospital mortuary, Yaba, for autopsy and preservation,” she stated.
Adebisi disclosed that the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, for further investigation.
