NUPENG demands thorough probe of death of Comrade Babalola Oladimeji

By allcitynews.ng

Worried by the untimely death, the leadership of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) has demanded for thorough investigation into the death of Comrade Babalola Oladimeji.

Until his death, Comrade Babalola Oladimeji was a staff of Xepameadow General Services – a contractor to Chevron.

The statement by NUPENG Lagos State Chairman, Comrade Tayo Aboyeji, with Assistant General Secretary/Head of Zone, Comrade Osunbor I.O, said:

On Wednesday, 15th December, 2021, himself and his two other colleagues were deployed and lodged into Genesis hotel facility in lkeja area of Lagos State by Chevron Nigeria Limited for operational reasons as they work on Airport Operation section of Chevron because they are drivers.

On Sunday, 19th December, 2021, Comrade Babalola Oladimeji was last seen hale and healthy as he was in the company of his colleagues lodged together in the said Genesis Hotel facility situate at 16, Oba Akinjobi Street, G.R.A. tkeja, Lagos. But at about 005 hours on Monday, 20th December, 2021 (the next day), his colleagues tried to reach him for his assignment that day through both his hotel room landline and his GSM
phone but could not find him even when the phones rang out several times.

A search party comprising his colleagues and one of the hotel room attendants (porter) organized for the search could not find him in his hotel room.

The colleagues left for the assignment but when they still didn’t hear from him after sometimes came back to search again (a second search) then returned to their rooms where they could still not find him.

Not quite long thereafter, one Genesis staff called some of the colleagues of the
deceased to inform them that they had found Babalola Oladimeji at the swimming pool.

And upon getting to the swimming pool, Comrade Samuel Elijah – the colleague saw the Genesis staff pulling the body out of the swimming pool and an attempt to administer CPR on him did not yield any result as he was discovered lifeless with a deep laceration on the head and a bleeding ear. The Genesis staff then transferred the body to the swimming pool dressing room.

Police was invited by the management of the Genesis hotel. The management of the hotel was thereafter requested to play the CCTV camera for a footage of what actually happened, but the management told them that the CCTV was not working.

The same CCTV that management said was not working showed the footage of Comrade Samuel Elijah and the hotel porter who went to the deceased room earlier, when they were frantically searching for him.

The body was deposited by the police at the mortuary and the case transferred to state CID Panti.

The irony of the whole thing is that the CCTV cameras that was supposed to capture the footage from the rear, the entrance and the surrounding particularly the swimming pool side – crime scene – to reveal when the deceased came to the hotel and when the body was probably dumped into the swimming pool were said not to have worked raising a
strong suspicion of foul play.

It was observed that the swimming pool water where the body was found, which was supposed to be bloody was clean even though the lifeless body of the deceased had a deep laceration on its head. This further raises the suspicion that the deceased was probabty murdered and dumped into the swimming pool.

It was also discovered that his stomach was not bloated as a result of gulping water which is normally the case if somebody drowns.

It is very strange that a high-profile suspected murder case of this nature, is being handled with unfathomable levity to the extent that no arrest has been made as we write.

Also, it was strange to learn from a reliable report at our disposal that the
deceased hotel room, which was taped out of bound pending when investigation will be carried out and concluded, because it is an active crime scene, has been opened and possibly tempered with leaving the possibility that the integrity of the investigation can be compromised. This can be construed to mean an attempt by the culprits to cover their tracks or conceal very vital information.

Finally, it is super strange to any discerning mind that at this stage in time, the company that deployed and lodged the deceased in the hotel – Chevron Nigeria Limited – has shown high level of negligence, insensitivity and carefree attitude in this matter by still retaining the remaining members of staff in the same hotel where their colleague died.

This goes to show the level of importance or lack of it they attach to the lives of hapless Nigerian workers who they see as expendable mules to be used and discarded as it pleases or displeases them.

This release is therefore a strong wakeup call on Chevron Nigeria Limited to leave up to their responsibility by deploying all the necessary machineries whether human or capital resources to ensure Justice is done to this case as the Union will not relent in its effort to mount required pressure on the management to do the needful.

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