The death of Pastor Bolaji Olukotun, a tenant at House B11, Admiralty Homes Estate, Lekki, Lagos, has sparked a dispute between his family and the estate agent managing the property.

The deceased’s family, through their lawyer, has petitioned the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

According to the petition, Olukotun became a tenant of the property in February 2025 under a tenancy agreement with Ofoedu Francis Chikeluba, which allegedly included an understanding for a future rent-to-own arrangement.

Although disagreements later arose over rent and his continued occupation of the property, the family maintained that Olukotun remained in lawful possession of the premises. They argued that no court order terminated his tenancy, no warrant of possession was issued, and no writ of execution authorised his eviction.

The petition alleged that on July 5, 2026, a man identified as Mr Murphy Smith, whom estate agent Blessing Idono introduced as a prospective buyer, visited the property under the pretext of inspecting it.

During the visit, the family alleged that Smith confronted Olukotun and threatened to return with armed men if he failed to vacate the property by Friday, July 10, 2026.

According to the petition, Smith returned to the residence on July 11 at about 2:00 p.m. accompanied by Idono, several armed thugs and an unidentified mobile police officer dressed in uniform and carrying a service rifle.

The family alleged that Idono facilitated access to the property, after which the group forcefully entered the premises and violently evicted Olukotun without any court order.

The petition further claimed that Olukotun was assaulted during the eviction and subsequently complained of severe pain before his condition rapidly deteriorated.

It also alleged that despite his worsening health, none of those present made any effort to obtain urgent medical assistance.

The family contended that Olukotun’s death may have resulted from the alleged assault or possible exposure to a poisonous or harmful substance during the incident.

In the petition, filed by Olotu Law Practice, the family argued that the incident went beyond a landlord-tenant dispute, describing it as what appeared to be “a carefully coordinated criminal enterprise” involving multiple actors who allegedly invaded the deceased’s residence, forcefully dispossessed him, subjected him to physical and psychological trauma, abandoned him in medical distress and left before he died hours later.

The petition further stated that available evidence warranted an investigation into whether Olukotun’s death resulted from homicide, including the possibility that he was unlawfully administered or exposed to a toxic substance during the attack.

Signed by Daniel Onyinki and Kings Jonah, the petition urged the Commissioner of Police to treat the case as a homicide investigation from the outset and deploy all available forensic, scientific and investigative resources to establish the exact cause of death and identify anyone found criminally responsible.

“The facts giving rise to this petition reveal a meticulously coordinated course of conduct involving all the suspects, each of whom played distinct but complementary roles in the unlawful enterprise which ultimately culminated in the death of Pastor Olukotun,” the petition stated.

However, when contacted by The Guardian, estate agent Blessing Idono denied the allegations.
“The information is false. The police are already investigating the matter,” she said.