A 46-year-old businessman, Kayode Akinbolusere, popularly known as Tolufe, has died in a suspected suicide incident in Igba Town, Ondo State.
The deceased, who was the owner of Esther Estate and a resident of Road 7, Housing Estate, was discovered dead on Thursday afternoon around 3:00 p.m. inside his office located near a BOVAS Petrol Station. Prior to his death, an emotional video recorded by Akinbolusere circulated widely across social media, showing him lamenting severe personal and business challenges while addressing his family and the distribution of his estate.
In the self-recorded video, Akinbolusere explicitly maintained that he was acting out of his own volition, stating, “I am doing this video on behalf of my family. I, Akinbolusere Kayode, am doing my will on my properties. I am doing this on my own; nobody put pressure on me. I woke up and left for work, leaving my family at home.” He recounted how he built his business from humble beginnings as a barber and acknowledged operational setbacks, noting, “When I started my business, I started from scratch and was very transparent about it… The first and second machines I was using at work developed a fault. I was imagining what was happening.” Devoting much of the recording to his wife, Esther Akinbolusere, he added, “My wife knew how I suffered. She didn’t trouble me. I will all my properties to my wife, Akinbolusere Esther, who hails from Ekiti, and my three children who are in Canada. She stood by me when I had nothing and never for once wronged me,” before lamenting, “I was the one who destroyed everything with carelessness.”
The Police Public Relations Officer for the Ondo State Command, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, confirmed that detectives from the Bolorunduro Division responded to reports from members of the public and visited the scene. Operatives recovered two empty bottles suspected to have contained Sniper insecticide from a nearby bush.
Initial examinations of the body revealed no physical marks of violence or immediate signs of foul play before the remains were evacuated and deposited at the State Hospital Morgue for preservation and forensic examination.
The widespread release of the video has triggered intense public debate and concern across social media platforms. A major area of discussion centers on suspicions of coercion, as numerous commentators point to what they describe as visible facial swelling, questions surrounding whether he was driving while recording, and the absence of independent witnesses, leading many online users and family members to suspect that he may have been threatened or tortured off-camera into making the statements.
Additionally, the public response has sparked broader conversations regarding men’s mental health, the heavy emotional pressures borne by male breadwinners, and the necessity of seeking timely support during moments of distress.
Despite preliminary police findings, the family of the deceased has raised suspicions regarding the circumstances surrounding his death and called for a comprehensive investigation, including an autopsy. Ondo State Commissioner of Police, CP Felix Ohagwu, has directed a full inquiry to establish the definitive cause of death, urging the public to refrain from speculation and advising anyone suffering emotional or mental distress to seek professional assistance and timely support.
