The mother of a gospel artiste who was found dead alongside three crew members inside a music studio in the Abraham Adesanya area of Ajah, Lagos State, has made an emotional public appeal for justice, describing the circumstances surrounding their deaths as suspicious and demanding a thorough investigation into the incident that has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s gospel music community.
The victims—Matthew Ogundele, also known as Segun Praise, Itunu Ogundele, Joseph Sanya, and a blogger, Matthew Awosanya, popularly known as JoesTv—were discovered lifeless on Wednesday morning inside a studio located in the HFP Shopping Complex, Ajah, hours after they had performed at a birthday praise event and decided to spend the night due to the late hour.
In a video uploaded on Saturday by event content creator Seyizy Sho on Facebook, the grieving mother of Matthew Ogundele broke down as she recounted the family’s desperate search for her son and his colleagues, appealing to Nigerians to ensure her son’s death is not in vain.
“Nigerians, please help me. Matthew went to a show. They left on Tuesday. There were four of them. When we got to the venue in Ajah, we did not find them. We kept calling their mobile numbers non-stop, but they did not pick up,” she said in the video.
Describing the harrowing discovery, she continued: “When we got to Ajah two days ago, we had to look for where they organised the show. We searched around before we found their corpses. Please help me. Come to my aid. Do not let me suffer in vain. Look at how they destroyed their lives. I do not know what they gave them to eat. The four of them who slept in the studio died. Look at how they were swollen and peeling. Please, I am the mother of Matthew Segun Praise.”
The emotional plea has intensified public scrutiny of the incident, with pictures circulating on social media showing what appeared to be blood stains around the noses, ears and mouths of the victims, fuelling speculation and raising questions about the actual cause of death. The disturbing images have prompted widespread calls for a transparent and exhaustive investigation into what transpired inside the studio during the night of Tuesday, leading to the deaths of four young men.
According to information gathered, the victims had been invited to perform on Tuesday, the second day of a three-day birthday praise programme organised by a female gospel artiste, Olanireti Akinbola. The event, which started on Monday, featured multiple gospel ministers, with Segun Praise scheduled to perform on the second day.
A police source with knowledge of the matter disclosed that the performance session, which began in the evening, extended late into the night, prompting the crew to make the decision to sleep over in the studio rather than embark on what would have been a long journey home at an unsafe hour.
“The convener invited some gospel artistes to minister during her three-day birthday praise, which started on Monday. Segun Praise was scheduled to minister on the second day, and he came with his crew. The session started in the evening and ran late, so they decided to stay overnight in the studio. It was the following morning that we heard that their lifeless bodies were found in the studio,” the source said.
A Christian blog, Omojesu, corroborated this account in a Facebook post, stating that the deceased allegedly stayed back at the studio due to the distance from their homes, a decision that would tragically prove fatal.
Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said the case was formally reported on Wednesday by the studio owner, Akintayo Akinbola, who is also the husband of the birthday celebrant, Olanireti Akinbola.
According to Adebisi, Akintayo told police that he had left the artistes in his music studio on Tuesday night after purchasing food for them as they prepared for the concert and settled in for the night.
“However, at about 11am on Wednesday, Akintayo said he returned to the studio and discovered that the door was locked from the inside. Alarmed by the situation, he reportedly called for help, and the door was eventually forced open. On entering the studio, the lifeless bodies of the four artistes were discovered,” Adebisi said.
The police spokesperson added that detectives immediately visited the scene and conducted preliminary investigations, including taking photographs of the scene and examining the bodies, noting that no visible marks of violence were found on any of the victims—a detail that has only deepened the mystery surrounding their deaths.
“The corpses were taken to the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, where a medical doctor on duty confirmed them dead. The bodies were later deposited at the Mainland General Hospital mortuary, Yaba, for autopsy and preservation,” Adebisi said.
She disclosed that the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, for further investigation, signalling that authorities are treating the matter with the seriousness it demands given the unusual circumstances and public interest.
The incident has drawn attention to safety concerns within Lagos’ vibrant but often unregulated entertainment industry, where artistes, particularly those operating at grassroots levels, frequently work in makeshift or poorly maintained facilities. Music studios, many of which operate in converted residential or commercial spaces, are rarely subject to safety inspections or regulatory oversight, raising questions about ventilation, electrical safety, and other potential hazards.
While the exact cause of death remains unknown pending autopsy results, the reported physical condition of the bodies—described by the victims’ mother as swollen and peeling, with blood stains around facial orifices—has prompted speculation ranging from carbon monoxide poisoning to foul play, though authorities have yet to make any official pronouncement on the matter.
Carbon monoxide poisoning, often resulting from faulty generators, gas leaks, or poor ventilation in enclosed spaces, has been responsible for numerous deaths in Nigeria over the years. In Lagos particularly, where power outages are frequent and generator use is widespread, incidents of carbon monoxide-related fatalities have been documented, though they are often underreported. In 2019, a family of six died in their sleep in the Magodo area of Lagos due to suspected generator fumes, while similar incidents have occurred in hotels, recording studios, and residential buildings across the country.
However, the locked-from-inside nature of the studio door, the simultaneous death of all four individuals, and the visible physical signs on the bodies have left many questions unanswered, fuelling suspicions and conspiracy theories on social media platforms where the story has gone viral.
Friends, colleagues and members of the gospel music community have taken to social media to demand justice and a thorough investigation, with many expressing shock and disbelief that four young men could die under such circumstances. Tributes have poured in for the deceased, with fellow gospel artistes describing them as talented, dedicated and passionate about their craft.
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