Itsekiri leader, wife reportedly found dead at their residence in Warri, bodies decomposing

It was a sorry sight in the oil city of Warri yesterday, Monday, June 28, 2021, when the lifeless bodies of a prominent citizen and respected elder, Pa Joe Ayomike, and his wife, Chi-Chi Ayomike, were discovered in a decomposing state in their posh residence.

Pa Joe Ayomike was the younger brother of the late renowned Itsekiri historian, Pa Johnson Oritsegbubemi Sunday Ayomike, popularly known as Pa JOS Ayomike.

It was gathered that Pa Joe Ayomike and his wife, Chi-Chi Ayomike, were discovered dead in their residence at GRA, beside Nana College, Warri in Delta State.

Source disclosed that the couple may have been killed by suspected invaders who reportedly shot and matcheted them to death, then locked the victims in one of their rooms before fleecing the house after putting it under lock and key. They also reportedly carted away valuables including two exotic cars belonging to the late couple.

The remains of the classical music lover and his wife were reportedly found following a foul smell in the neighborhood, a development which prompted residents and police to break into the apartment where the couple were discovered dead and their corpses decomposing.

Delta State Police Public Relation Officer, DSP Edafe Bright, who confirmed the incident, said that no arrest has been made so far.

In a swift reaction, the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom, Chief Ayirimi Emami, expressed shock over the death of the eminent couple, saying that late Pa Joe Ayomike was a prominent and elderly Itsekiri man who “stood for truth, fairness and justice at all times, irrespective of whose ox is gored”.

He vowed to ensure that justice is not only served, but seen to be served, adding that “Itsekiri Nation will not tolerate a situation where the lives of its indigenes, will be smoked out in cold blood, without any form of provocation.”

Emani called on the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, and other relevant security agencies, to immediately commence thorough investigation, with a view to unmasking the cause(s) of the controversial death of Pa Joe Ayomike and his wife.

Late Pa Joe Ayomike, who attended London School of Economics and Political Science, and lived in England before returning home, founded the Warri Choral Society (WCS), where he used to organise concerts conducted by his wife, Chi-Chi Ayomike.