The widow of the recently murdered academic don of the University of Ibadan (UI), Mrs Elizabeth Ajewole, her sons Aanuoluwatomiwa and Ireoluwatunmise, relatives, and sympathizers, were overcome with emotion as the remains of Professor Opeyemi Isaac Ajewole were laid to rest at the cemetery of the Cathedral of St. James The Great, Oke Bola, near Ijokodo, Ibadan.
Elizabeth, sobbing and shivering while speaking in tongues, was supported by her sons as her husband’s body was lowered into the grave.
Professor Ajewole, from the Department of Forestry Resources Management, University of Ibadan, was trailed and shot dead in front of his residence at Duku Close, Orogun area of Ibadan on June 6, 2023. The incident occurred as he was returning from his office at the University of Ibadan in his Toyota Corolla car. His body was later abandoned along the Moniya-Oyo expressway, while the gunmen took his car away.
Earlier, during a church burial service at The Men of Issachar Vision Incorporated, Olororo Bus Stop, Ojoo, Reverend Samson Ajetumobi, the president of the church, expressed that “Ajetumobi’s blood will haunt his killers.”
He asserted, “The wicked will not go unpunished. I saw Ajewole’s blood on the floor, and I spoke to it to fight. The hearts of men are wicked. The killers of Ajewole might be among us.”
Referring to Corinthians 1, chapter 15, verses 45 to 58, Ajetumobi emphasized that “it is acceptable to die because it is the price all the living pay. Almighty God determines our days, so it is okay to die, but it is not okay to be killed. Killing is punishable by God and man. Ajewole did not die; he was killed.”
Describing the deceased as an iconic figure with outstanding attributes of humility, love, and compassion for humanity, the cleric stated that “God does not kill people when they are serving causes that please Him. Those who killed Ajewole, the planners and killers, will face their own deaths.
“If you shed someone’s blood, your blood will be shed in return. Control the wickedness of your intentions. God detests the hands that pull the trigger against a man who was simply returning home from his office. We are all aware of the insecurity in Nigeria.
“Our academic environment has become a place of physical and spiritual conflicts, where desperate individuals make sacrifices. We kill each other because we cannot protect one another. I recognize that people kill each other out of envy and jealousy. Individuals engage in business and kill each other. God knows everything.
“There are colleagues who engage in rivalry. It is wrong to waste lives out of rivalry, cruelty, and jealousy. Everyone will die. Only the blood of Jesus can appease Ajewole’s blood. Everyone will be held accountable for their deeds on earth, and through their actions, they will decide their fate in the afterlife and face judgment,” Ajetumobi concluded.
He prayed for God’s protection over the deceased widow, children, and other family members, emphasizing that Nigerians should be concerned about life after death.
Dignitaries at the burial service included the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale; the registrar of the institution, Mr J.O. Saliu; the Pro-Chancellor of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Professor A.O Omole; the Vice-Chancellor of Dominion University, Professor Abel Olajide Olorunisola; the Provost of the Federal College of Forestry, Professor Funmi Adero; members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UI chapter, among others.
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