UK
A UK court has heard how a Nigerian man killed his wife, who worked as a care home assistant, just months after they relocated to the UK from Nigeria.
In 2023, LIB reported that a man named Olubunmi Abodunde had killed his wife Taiwo Abodunde, 41, leaving their three kids motherless (read here).
A UK court has now heard how officers heard “a number of bangs” inside the house as Olubunmi Abodunde hit his wife repeatedly but they stayed outside while awaiting permission from their bosses to go in. By the time they went in 25 minutes later, they found Taiwo Abodunde, 41, with her “skull smashed in”.
Olubunmi Abodunde, an abusive husband who had been repeatedly investigated by Suffolk Police about domestic violence, had gone into the house where his wife and kids were, despite bail conditions imposed the day before that banned him from the property following another violent episode.
On Thursday, April 25, 2024, Olubunmi Abodunde, 48, was due to go on trial for murder but he changed his plea to “guilty” after a jury had been sworn in.
Judge Martyn Levett, sitting at Ipswich Crown Court, warned him the only possible sentence for a guilty plea was life imprisonment.
Three Suffolk police officers are also under investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) over the way they handled the incident at the Abodunde family home.
An IOPC spokesman said: “We advised two Suffolk officers that they are under investigation for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour at the level of gross misconduct.
“We advised another officer that they are under investigation at the level of misconduct.”
Before the tragic murder of Mrs Taiwo Abodunde, it was reported that Mr Olubunmi Abodunde had a history of jealousy and suspicion and accused his wife of having affairs.
He had been investigated by police a number of times over alleged domestic violence incidents before his wife’s death.
He was arrested on April 27, 2023, when police arrived at the couple’s home in Newmarket, Suffolk, and found Mrs Abodunde with a split lip.
Later that day he was freed on police bail with the condition that he stayed away from the marital home and didn’t approach his wife.
However, after working a night shift at Tesco, he went home just after 9am to allegedly pick up his mobile phone.
Two officers arrived at 9.20am to take a statement from Mrs Abodunde about the previous night’s incident and heard repeated banging noises inside.
But it wasn’t until 9.55am that they forced their way in after getting approval from senior officers and found Mrs Abodunde “obviously dead” near the front door.
A post-mortem examination later showed she had been strangled until she fell unconscious, then stamped on until her ribs were broken before her husband used the skateboard to finish her off. The blows were so violent that the skateboard was damaged.
Prosecutor Simon Spence KC told the court the banging officers heard was likely to have been Abodunde continuing to attack his wife after she was unconscious or dead.
During the hearing, the court heard the couple, who had three children, arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2022.
As well as clashes over the alleged affairs, there were also arguments about bills.
Mrs Abodunde had a job as a care home assistant in Cambridge but her husband, who had trained as a civil engineer, was unable to find work in his profession and took shifts at Tesco and Wickes.
After his arrest for the murder, Abodunde was taken to hospital “because he appeared to have some sort of mental episode”.
He later claimed in a police statement that he had acted in self-defence, saying: “My wife has subjected me to physical abuse for a number of years.
“On November 28, we got into an argument. She ran at me with a knife, I grabbed the knife and cut my hand. I was defending myself.”
But the court heard while he did have an injury to his hand, there wasn’t a knife near his wife’s body.
Nneka Akudolu KC, defending, said the level of violence was “completely out of character” for her client and might have been affected by medication he was taking. But she said no medical evidence would be provided to support this claim.
Detective Inspector Dan Connick, of Suffolk Police, said after the hearing which saw Mr Abodunde plead guilty: “This was an awful attack on a woman that has had a lasting impact on the community and, most importantly, on the victim’s family.
“We are pleased that Taiwo’s family will no longer have to go through the pain of a trial.
“Our thoughts remain with Taiwo’s family and friends and hope this result will bring some small comfort to them.”
Taiwo Abodunde worked for Cambridge Manor Care Home, which provides dementia, residential and respite care.
A spokesman for the facility, which is owned by TLC Care, said: “We are all deeply shaken and upset by the tragic death of Taiwo, who was a much-loved member of our home community.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with her family. Taiwo always cared for those we support with compassion and kindness, and she will be greatly missed by all of us and our residents.”
Aboodunde was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on May 9.
