A 62-year-old Nigerian-British citizen, Prince Adeoba Adeniji-Adele, has been found dead at his residence in London, United Kingdom.
Adeniji-Adele, a former Lagos State Government public servant, relocated to the UK in 2024 after retiring from service, having worked as an information officer in several government agencies.
He reportedly secured a job as a support officer with Bushey Meadows Supported Living shortly after relocating to the UK.
However, his lifeless body was discovered last Monday at his apartment, Flat 6, 2A, Bruce Road, Barnet, London, after his colleagues requested a welfare check when they were unable to reach him.
His childhood friend, Abayomi Ishola, confirmed the incident during a telephone conversation on Friday.
Ishola explained that concerns arose after Adeniji-Adele failed to return calls or respond to messages from his wife and workplace, prompting his colleagues to arrange a welfare check at his residence.
“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,” he said.
British authorities have reportedly commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to Ishola, the deceased had been diagnosed with prostate cancer but received treatment about two months before his death.
“He was able to return to work. He didn’t have any ailments. We just heard of his death on Monday.
“He lived alone in his residence but he was agile. He even sent money for his mother’s 90th birthday in Nigeria,” he added.
Adeniji-Adele reportedly lived in the UK before moving to Nigeria in 2012, where he worked as an information officer with the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender. He was later transferred to Gbagada General Hospital, where he eventually retired.
Ishola said his friend spent about 10 years working in Lagos before returning to the UK in 2024. During his time in Nigeria, he had four children, including a set of twins.
He added that Adeniji-Adele secured British passports for his children after returning to the UK and was making arrangements to bring his wife and children over when he died.
“He was at the point of getting entry clearance for his wife to join him in the UK with the children when he passed on,” Ishola said.
In a tribute shared on Facebook, his widow, Kehinde, described him as a devoted husband who always prioritised the wellbeing of his family.
“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.
Speaking about the circumstances surrounding his death, Kehinde said she last spoke with her husband a day before the incident. She explained that they chatted for some time before he told her he was exhausted and wanted to sleep.
She said she promised to call him the following day, but her attempts to reach him on Monday were unsuccessful.
“He said he wanted to sleep. I said he shouldn’t worry that I would call him the following day.
“But when I called him the following day, which was Monday, he didn’t pick up. So, I assumed he hadn’t woken up or maybe he just wanted to take a nap,” she said.
Kehinde said her concern heightened 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.
On the burial arrangements, the widow disclosed that British authorities were planning to conduct an autopsy to establish the cause of death.
She also confirmed that her husband had been making arrangements for her and their children to join him in the UK.
Nigerian-British ex-Lagos civil servant found dead in London home