What was meant to be a joyful celebration quickly turned into a tragedy on Saturday when a Lagos-based hotelier, Otunba Kunle Akinyele, slumped and died during his wife’s 60th birthday thanksgiving service.
The solemn incident occurred at the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Iyanu, Odemuyiwa District Headquarters, located in the Egbeda area of Lagos State. The thanksgiving service was in honour of Deaconess Catherine Adejoke Akinyele, the celebrant and wife of the deceased.
Eyewitnesses who were present at the church disclosed that Otunba Akinyele showed signs of distress during his testimony and appeared to gesture for assistance—either water or an inhaler—before suddenly collapsing.
“He was visibly uneasy and was gesturing desperately before he slumped. Everything happened so fast,” a church attendee who witnessed the moment recounted.
A video making rounds online captures the moment the deceased, visibly agitated, collapsed in front of the congregation. Despite immediate efforts to revive him, Akinyele could not be resuscitated.
Until his untimely death, Otunba Akinyele was a respected Deputy Comptroller in the Nigeria Customs Service.
As stated in the invitation for the celebration, guests were scheduled to move from the church to a grand reception at Noble Castle Events Centre in Igando. Vendors and event planners were already setting up at the venue by 10 a.m., in anticipation of the event’s 2 p.m. kickoff.
However, celebrations were cut short as the shocking news of his sudden death spread among guests and vendors.
“None of us could continue with the event. It was devastating. We all packed up as soon as we got the news,” one of the event planners said.
As of the time of this report, the exact cause of death has not been officially confirmed by medical authorities.
Otunba Akinyele’s passing has left family, friends, and colleagues in mourning, with tributes already pouring in on social media.
May his soul rest in peace.
