Police have arranged Abiola Odutayo over the death of Bumpa co-founder, Tunji Opayele.
Glamtush reports that a Nigerian lady, Abiola Odutayo, has been arraigned by the Lagos State Police Command in connection with the death of 32-year-old Adetunji Opayele (TeeJay), the co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of Bumpa.
This news platform understands that Abiola Odutayo had reportedly knocked down the accident victim who was on his powerbike while driving, and he didn’t survive the accident.
Eyewitness accounts stated that upon knocking down the victim, she refused to rush him to the hospital over alleged claims that she wouldn’t want his blood to stain her car.
A Night of Tragedy
After a long day at work on March 4th, Teejay went to the iFitness gym in Victoria Island before heading home on his power bike. At about 10:20 PM, as he rode along Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island, Lagos, he had the right of way when Miss Biola Adams-Odutayo driving a vehicle with licence number LND 418 JR merged onto the expressway without considering approaching traffic, thereby crashing into him.
Biola and her friend had just left a restaurant by the expressway where they had dinner. Despite having a driver, she chose to drive herself, while she asked her driver to drive her friend’s car following behind.
Though fully equipped with safety gear, Teejay was knocked unconscious, sprawled on the road.
What happened next was not just an accident, but a complete disregard for human life.
Negligence, Indifference and a Life Lost
After the crash, Biola Adams-Odutayo refused to step out of her vehicle to check on Teejay. Bystanders and good Samaritans rushed to help, begging her to assist, but she did nothing. When they approached her friend, they were reportedly told, “She doesn’t want blood to stain her car.”
As Teejay lay unconscious but still breathing, Biola, a healthcare professional and Head of Health at a reputable Insurance brokering firm chose to stay on a phone call for over 30 minutes instead of helping save a life.
Meanwhile, bystanders desperately tried to get Teejay to a hospital. Many cars refused to stop, but they eventually convinced an Uber driver to assist.
Teejay was taken to two different hospitals, but both refused to admit him.
Desperate to save his life, the Samaritans returned to the accident scene, placed Teejay in a minibus (known as korope), and forced Biola to accompany them, hoping that her presence would prevent further rejections. She reluctantly followed. The only reason she remained at the accident scene was because bystanders physically prevented her from fleeing especially after she had already arranged for her car to be towed away.
At 11:30 PM, Teejay’s brother got a call about the incident, He got to the scene and met a Samaritan who had held on to Teejay’s properties. He handed them over to Teejays brother and followed him to the hospital Teejay was taken to. On arrival, he was told that Teejay was also just being brought in. This was past midnight. Shortly after arriving, Teejay was declared dead.
On Friday, X platform was agog with aggrieved netizens calling for the arrest and prosecution of Odutayo for her “callous and wicked act,” with others signing a petition on Change.org to further amplify the incident.
Speaking on the development, the Lagos State Police Command confirmed the arrest and arraignment of Odutayo.
In a press statement, the police said, “The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, on behalf of the entire officers and personnel of the command, commiserates with the family and loved ones of Mr Tunji Opayele over the unfortunate accident that led to his untimely death.
“It is while in this sad mood that the Lagos State Police Command wishes to inform the general public both home and abroad that the defendant in the case of this fatal accident, Abiola Odutayo ‘f’, after conclusion of a discreet and thorough investigation into the case, was properly charged to a court of competent jurisdiction on a two-count charge bordering on the death of the deceased. For avoidance of doubt, below is attached a copy of the charge sheet for verification by everyone.
“It is a statutory procedure that police actions terminate where cases are charged to court.”
As at the time of filing this report, over 50,000 Nigerians have signed a petition demanding justice with many calling for more severe charges, including manslaughter, rather than the reckless driving charge.
Petitioners have also demanded that the Lagos State Ministry of Justice oversee a thorough investigation and ensure proper prosecution.
