Man Found Dead in Badagry Pond After Telling Wife He Was Off to a Party
Razak insisted it was murder, explaining that no water came out of his stomach when pressed, which suggested he had not drowned but was killed and dumped.
The Bovita central community in Badagry, Lagos State, has been thrown into grief after the body of a 28-year-old artisan, Ayienugba Ezekiel, was discovered inside an abandoned fish pond with his hands tied behind his back.
The news of the discovery spread on Saturday night, September 13, 2025, leaving residents in shock and fear. At the family’s modest home, sorrow weighed heavily as Ezekiel’s young wife, 24-year-old Abiola, clutched their toddler son while recounting their final moments together. She told Vanguard Newspaper that her husband had gone out that morning to watch football before returning home briefly when their gas ran out. He later went to feed his animals at the pig farm and in the evening, after a shared meal, told her he was heading to a birthday party around 6 p.m.
By 9 p.m. his phone was switched off. Abiola grew anxious because he was not in the habit of staying out late. Hours later, a neighbour brought disturbing news that a body had been spotted in an old fish pond close to the venue of the party. Her elder brother Razak waded into the swampy water, waist-deep, and pulled out Ezekiel’s body. His hands were bound, and he was kneeling when found. The family rushed him to Badagry General Hospital, but doctors confirmed he was dead.
Razak insisted it was murder, explaining that no water came out of his stomach when pressed, which suggested he had not drowned but was killed and dumped. The family reported the matter to the police and deposited his body at the mortuary in the early hours of Sunday.
Community accounts alleged that a fight broke out at the party and that the celebrant ordered Ezekiel to be tied, though what happened afterwards remains unclear. Residents said the loud music at the event may have drowned out his cries for help.
The Lagos State Police Command confirmed that an investigation had commenced, with statements taken from family members and eyewitnesses as efforts continue to trace those who attended the party.
Fear still grips Bovita as neighbours remember Ezekiel as a lively young man devoted to his family. His sudden death has left his wife and toddler uncertain of tomorrow, with calls for justice growing louder.
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