A Lagos hotelier, Otunba Kunle Akinyele, tragically passed away during his wife’s 60th birthday thanksgiving service held at a church in Lagos on Saturday, April 20, 2025.
The unexpected event occurred while Akinyele was at Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Iyanu, Odemuyiwa District Headquarters, Egbeda, alongside his wife, Deaconess Catherine Adejoke Akinyele, their children, and other guests. The service was part of the celebration planned in honour of Deaconess Akinyele’s milestone birthday.
According to a Facebook post shared by a digital content creator, Ayoade Ojeniyi, the hotelier appeared to be in distress during the thanksgiving. In the video that has since gone viral, Akinyele could be seen gesturing—possibly asking for water or help—before suddenly collapsing in full view of the congregation.
Witnesses noted that the incident happened during the testimony segment of the service. Efforts were made to revive him immediately, but they were unsuccessful. The tragic news spread quickly, cutting short the planned festivities and leaving many guests in shock.
A reception was scheduled to follow the church service at Noble Castle Events Centre in Igando, Lagos. One of the vendors involved in setting up the party said they had arrived at the venue by 10 a.m., with the event slated to start by 2 p.m. The decorations were in place, food was ready, and even the live band had arrived with over 25 speakers.
The vendor wrote in a Facebook post, “Variety of foods were set, decoration, cocktail, emu oguro, and many more.” But by the time guests were meant to move to the reception, the sad news had already cast a dark shadow over the day.
The Master of Ceremony for the event reportedly spoke with Akinyele around 1:23 p.m., only to learn less than an hour later that he had passed. In disbelief, guests began leaving the venue, and the vendor expressed sorrow, writing, “This is how people die? I can’t possibly ask for my balance for the job.”
Though no official cause of death has been given at the time of this report, many on social media pointed to possible stress or underlying health issues. Akinyele was known to be the owner of Ologbo Nla Hotel in Isheri, Idimu area of Lagos State.
Comments poured in online, many mourning the loss and reflecting on life’s uncertainty. “So sad! From the look of things, the man was overtime stressed up,” a user named Taylor Sam wrote. Others noted the growing trend of men ignoring their health, with Atteh Isaac Taiwo commenting, “Men, kindly take care of yourself health-wise to avert this kind of scenario.”
Another Facebook user, Cicero Sasore-Whyte, wrote, “It comes like a thief in the night, and snatched our precious life just like that.”
