For Adewale and Ronke, Saturday, 24th April, 2021 was meant to be a memorable day. It was a day the duo and their families had chosen for the solemnization of their union as husband and wife.
But it was not meant to be. The two lovebirds got married at the Ikoyi marriage registry in Lagos and embarked on a journey for the planned second phase of their marriage ceremony, which was billed to hold in Akure.
A few kilometers to their destination, at Apomu village, along the Ondo-Akure Expressway, in the Akure-South Local Government Area of the state, Adewale was killed in a fatal accident that left seven others dead, while his wife is still battling for her life at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Akure.
A Toyota Hiace 18-seater commercial bus they were in with registration number Lagos AAA 859 AC was said to be heading to Akure from Lagos State and plunged into a river at about 10km to its destination in Akure.
One week after the ugly incident, both families are still in shock.
The 31-year-old Adekunle was said to be a graduate of Political Science of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
A family member who pleaded anonimity, said Adewale would be sorely missed by the family.
“Everybody is sad in the family. The incident is traumatic. He was a responsible and reliable person. He was like my biological son. He stayed with me since his childhood days,’’ the family member said with deep sadness.
He continues, “His death is a loss to us in many ways. We had been preparing for the wedding for a long time. We bought bags of rice, drinks, cows, clothes and other things for the ceremony. The association of plank sellers in Akure which his mother belongs bought ankara (aso ebi) for the ceremony.
“We paid almost a million naira for the event centre to be used for the ceremony. His death is a big loss to our family. The incident has devastated his mother now.’’
