The widow of a 62-year-old Nigerian-British man, Prince Adeoba Adeniji-Adele(pictured), who was found dead in his London home, has recounted her final conversation with her husband before his mysterious death.
Kehinde, the grieving widow, said she spoke with Adeniji-Adele a day before his lifeless body was discovered at his residence in Barnet, London, United Kingdom.
In an emotional account, she explained that her husband had complained of exhaustion during their conversation and told her he wanted to sleep.
“He said he wanted to sleep. I said he shouldn’t worry that I would call him the following day,” she recalled.
However, her attempt to reach him the following day, Monday, proved unsuccessful, as he repeatedly failed to answer her calls.
Kehinde said she initially assumed he was still asleep or had decided to take another nap.
But her concern grew when she made another call at about 3.15pm and someone answered her husband’s phone.
“Around 3.15pm, I called him and someone picked but I heard a scream. Then, a white man answered the phone and asked me questions.
“The man asked for my husband’s name and I said it. He asked who I was, and I said I’m his wife. He asked me to call my number and I did. He then said I was truly his wife.
“He then announced the death of my husband to me on the phone. He explained what happened and how he was not seen in the office, before a welfare check was sent to his residence,” she added.
Adeniji-Adele’s body was discovered last Monday after colleagues at his workplace became worried over his unexplained absence and failure to respond to calls and messages.
His childhood friend, Abayomi Ishola, said his colleagues had arranged a welfare check at his home after repeated attempts to contact him failed.
“It was unusual of him not to return calls or respond to messages from both his wife and his office. They got concerned and sent a welfare check to his house; they sent an ambulance after finding him dead,” Ishola said.
The circumstances surrounding his death have reportedly prompted an investigation by UK authorities.
Prince Adeoba Adeniji-Adele relocated to the UK in 2024 after retiring from the Lagos State Government Public Service, where he served as an information officer in several government establishments.
He later secured employment as a support officer with Bushey Meadows Supported Living.
According to Ishola, Adeniji-Adele had previously been diagnosed with prostate cancer and received treatment about two months before his death.
However, he said his friend had recovered sufficiently to return to work and did not appear to be battling any serious health challenge.
“He was able to return to work. He didn’t have any ailments. We just heard of his death on Monday,” he said.
Ishola added that although Adeniji-Adele lived alone in London, he remained active and was making plans for his family in Nigeria.
“He even sent money for his mother’s 90th birthday in Nigeria,” he said.
The deceased reportedly spent part of his early life in the UK before relocating to Nigeria in 2012.
During his time in Lagos, he worked as an information officer at the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender before being posted to Gbagada General Hospital, where he eventually retired.
He was survived by his wife and four children, including a set of twins.
According to Ishola, Adeniji-Adele was making arrangements to secure entry clearance for his wife and children to join him in the UK before death struck.
In a heartbreaking Facebook tribute, Kehinde described her late husband as a loving and devoted family man who made sacrifices to ensure the wellbeing of his household.
“Ademi, Okomi, Ololufe mi, I am writing this with a deep pain my heart. Thank you for being that husband that will give his last fight to make sure all goes well in the family, even though I misunderstood you then, now I understand better,” she wrote.
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