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Redeemed Church: At about 2am on Sunday, November 6, 21-year-old Solomon
Odekunle was seen stumbling out of a popular hangout, Piper's Bar and
Grill, in Ottawa, Canada, with blood gushing out of his neck.
Eyewitnesses
interviewed by the police said few steps away, he collapsed on Coventry
Road. He was later pronounced dead in the hospital.
Solomon was stabbed by a man, who has been identified as 27-year-old Joe Ndikuriyo.
According to Ottawa's CBC News, he is the 17th victim of homicide in Ottawa this year.
Reports
indicates that Ndikuriyo is a Burundian national. Even though the
police in Ottawa have said they were still piecing together the timeline
of events that led to the victim's death, reports suggest he was
stabbed during a fight between Ndikuriyo and another individual over a
woman.
The victim, whose father is a pastor of the
Redeemed Christian Church of God in Lagos according to residents of
their neighbourhood in Fagba, Lagos, was admitted to the University of
Ottawa in 2012 to study Economics.
When Punch visited
his parents' house at Rotimi Williams Estate, Fagba, on Thursday, a
domestic employee explained that Solomon's father had travelled while
the inconsolable mother had relocated temporarily from the house.
It was learnt that the father had flown out to Canada after learning of the tragic murder of his son.
Solomon's
sister, Deborah, who is also studying in Canada, shared heart-breaking
words on Twitter that corroborated words of Solomon's friends, who
described him as a meek and funny young man.
According to her, she saw him last a week before the incident.
His sister wrote:
"If I did know it would be your last, I would have given you more than a
fist bump. I would have gotten down on my knees and give you the
deepest bro-hug.
"If I did know it would be your last,
I would have pleaded with the drama leader to allow the rehearsal to
linger a little so you and Peter could make us giggle a little more with
some frog jump.
"If I did know it would be your last,
I would have treasured those great words you shared with me a couple of
months ago in the technical department, have them handwritten with the
best calligraphic pens, framed and given to you right after doing those
frog jumps.
"To the Solomon I saw last week, to the
Solomon that finally got his picture taken properly last week, to the
Solomon with an intellectual smile and chubby cheeks, to the Solomon his
friends described as kind-hearted and meek, see you next."
Deborah said that her dad would be attending a wake organised to take place on Friday (yesterday).
"We
would be having a memorial service for Solomon in Ottawa Friday evening
and it is open to anyone that would like to come. Please, if you make
it down, don't cry because my dad would be there. I also believe that as
Christians, we do not mourn, we celebrate life," Deborah said.
There has been an outpouring of grief by Solomon's friends and acquaintances on social media since the news of his death broke.
One
friend wrote: "I'm lost for words. Rest in peace, Solomon. Such a
gentle, polite, well mannered, intelligent, kind hearted young man! This
is terribly sad."
The suspect in the stabbing, who
was said to have served a previous two-week jail term for weapons
possession, was arrested the day after the attack. He has been charged
with second-degree murder.
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