The Aiyepeku family in Kogi State has been thrown into deeper mourning as Chief James Aiyepeku, father of murdered photojournalist Ayobami Aiyepeku, died of a stroke barely three weeks after his son’s killing.
Family members say the elder Aiyepeku’s death on Tuesday, August 12, was directly linked to the shock and trauma of Ayobami’s brutal murder on July 22 in Lokoja.
“He never recovered from the pain,” Ayobami’s elder brother, Timothy Aiyepeku, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). “On August 6, after making arrangements for Ayobami’s burial, I returned home to find my father had collapsed. He was hospitalised, but his condition worsened until he passed.”
Timothy expressed concern over unanswered questions surrounding Ayobami’s killing, noting that both his phone and that of the alleged killer remain missing.
“We suspect a conspiracy,” he said. “We want the police to leave no stone unturned. We believe justice can be achieved if the right resources are committed to the investigation.”
Despite their grief, the family says it is clinging to faith, trusting God for ultimate justice.
Kogi Police Command spokesperson, SP Williams Ovye-Aya, had earlier identified Oluwapelumi Adebayo, a colleague of Ayobami, as the prime suspect.
According to police, Adebayo murdered Ayobami inside an office at GRA, Lokoja, on July 22. A day later, before he could be apprehended, the suspect allegedly took his own life in a hotel room in Lokoja.
In just three weeks, the Aiyepeku family has been forced to prepare for two burials: a promising young journalist and his grieving father.
Timothy said the family remains hopeful that truth and justice will eventually emerge.
“We believe law enforcement is working, and we wait for their updates. But beyond that, we trust God to avenge this cruel injustice,” he said.