Nigerian man Abodunde kills woman in Britain

Olubunmi Abodunde, a Nigerian living in Britain, allegedly beat his wife Taiwo to death with their son’s skateboard, according to the Daily Mail.

The couple, who had three children, arrived in Britain from Nigeria in 2022 and regularly argued over reported relationships and financial disagreements.

According to the news outlet, 48-year-old Abodunde had been investigated several times by Suffolk police for domestic violence and was due to stand trial for murder, but changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday after the jury was sworn in.

During the abuse, officers heard “a number of noises” in the home, which Abodunde had entered despite bail restrictions imposed the day before that denied him access to the home due to another violent incident.

When they arrived 25 minutes later, they discovered Taiwo, 41, with a smashed skull.

However, Judge Martyn Levett, sitting at Ipswich Crown Court, warned him that the only conceivable sentence was life imprisonment.

Suffolk Constabulary has reported to the Independent Office of Police Conduct, which confirmed three officers were under investigation.

An IOPC spokesperson said: “We have informed two Suffolk officers that they are under investigation for possible breaches of police standards of professional conduct at the level of gross misconduct.

“We have informed another officer that they are under investigation for misconduct.”

Abodunde has a history of mistrust and distrust of his wife, accusing her of having affairs. He had been investigated by police several times for alleged domestic violence prior to his wife’s murder.

He was arrested on April 27 last year when police came to the couple’s home in Newmarket, Suffolk, and found Mrs Abodunde with a split lip.

Later that day, he was released on bail on the condition that he stay away from the marital home and not approach his wife.

However, after completing a night shift at Tesco, he returned home shortly after 9am to reportedly collect his mobile phone.

At 9.20am, two officers arrived to record Ms Abodunde’s testimony about the previous night’s incident and heard persistent banging inside.

But it was not until 9.55am that they forced their way in with the permission of senior officers and discovered Mrs Abodunde ‘obviously dead’ at the main entrance.

A post-mortem examination revealed she had been strangled until she was unconscious and then stomped until her ribs were broken, before her husband used the skateboard to kill her. The blows were so hard that the skateboard broke.

Prosecutor Simon Spence KC told the court that the officers’ hammering was most likely caused by Abodunde continuing to attack his wife after she was unconscious or dead.

Mrs Abodunde worked as a nursing home assistant in Cambridge but her husband, a civil engineer by training, could not find work and worked shifts at Tesco and Wickes.

After his arrest for the murder, Abodunde was taken to hospital “because he appeared to be having some sort of mental episode.”

He later argued in a police statement that he had acted in self-defense, saying: “My wife physically abused me for a number of years.

“On November 28 we had an argument. She ran at me with a knife. I took the knife and cut my hand. I defended myself.”

However, the court heard that although he had a hand injury, no knife was found near his wife’s body.

Nneka Akudolu KC, defending the case, said the level of violence was “completely out of character” for her client and could have been influenced by the drugs he was taking. However, she stated that no medical evidence would be provided to support her claim.

Echoing the court, Suffolk Police Detective Inspector Dan Connick said: “This was a terrible attack on a woman which has had a long-lasting impact on the community and, importantly, on the victim’s family.”

“We are happy that Taiwo’s family will no longer have to endure the pain of a trial.

“Our thoughts remain with Taiwo’s family and friends, and we hope this outcome will bring them some comfort.”

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