Tragedy in Ajah: Gospel Artiste Matthew Ogundele, 3 Crew Members Found Dead in Lagos Studio
A tragic incident has shaken the gospel music community as gospel artiste Matthew Ogundele and three members of his team were discovered dead inside a music studio in the Abraham Adesanya area of Ajah, Lagos State.
The deceased crew members were identified as Itunu Ogundele, Joseph Sanya, and a blogger, Matthew Awosanya, popularly known as JoesTv.
According to information gathered, the gospel ministers were invited to minister on Tuesday during the second day of a three-day birthday praise programme organised by a female gospel singer, Olanireti Akinbola. The praise event reportedly began on Monday and featured several gospel artistes.
A police source disclosed that the session, which started in the evening, extended late into the night. Due to the late hour and the distance to their homes, the artistes decided to stay overnight in the studio. Sadly, their bodies were discovered the following morning, Wednesday.
A Christian blog, Omojesu, also confirmed the incident in a Facebook post, stating that the invited musicians and a gospel blogger had lodged overnight at the studio after a virtual praise event and were later found unresponsive.
The case was reported at the Ajiwe Police Station in Ajah, while friends, colleagues, and members of the gospel community have taken to social media to mourn the deceased and call for justice and clarity surrounding the incident.
Reacting to the development, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the occurrence. She explained that the incident was reported on Wednesday by the studio owner, Akintayo Akinbola, who is also the husband of the celebrant.
According to the police, Akintayo stated that he left the artistes at the studio on Tuesday night after purchasing food for them and returned home. On Wednesday morning, he reportedly came back to the studio and found the door locked from the inside. After seeking help, the door was forced open, and the four individuals were found lifeless.
Police detectives visited the scene, documented findings, and confirmed that there were no visible signs of physical violence on the bodies. The remains were taken to Mainland Hospital, Yaba, where doctors confirmed them dead, before being moved to the mortuary for autopsy.
The Lagos State Police Command has since transferred the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, for further investigation.