Man fatally stabbed at birthday party during heated dispute with bar owner

Monday, May 18, 2026 - An argument that broke out during a birthday celebration along Ayetoro Road in the Ado-Odo/Otta Local Government Area of Ogun State has left a man, Kunle Akinlose, dead after he was allegedly stabbed with a broken bottle.

A community member, who pleaded for anonymity because of sensitivity nature of the incident, disclosed during a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Sunday that the deceased and the suspect, Damilola Fagbemi, were members of the same cult group.

The source who spoke to Punch noted that the trouble began after the suspect had an altercation with the bar owner and allegedly attempted to attack him alongside some of his friends.

The source said the deceased intervened to prevent the assault, which later resulted in a fight between the two men.

“People around even told him that the man did nothing wrong, but he became aggressive.

“When he wanted to attack the bar owner, the victim stepped in to calm the situation and stop them from beating the man,” the source said.

The source added that the confrontation later degenerated into a physical fight, during which the deceased allegedly overpowered the suspect.

The source further stated that the suspect broke a bottle while the deceased reportedly brought out a knife before some persons at the scene intervened and seized the weapon from him.

“People separated them and collected the knife from the victim, but the suspect still held the broken bottle.

The victim probably thought the fight had ended.

“He suddenly came back and stabbed him with the bottle. The injury on his hand was very deep,” the source narrated.

Another resident who identified himself simply as ‘Ela’ told our correspondent during a telephone conversation on Sunday that the deceased ran into another bar with his injuries, where he was assisted with a piece of cloth to tie the bleeding hand.

Ela noted that the deceased succumbed to his injuries while waiting for a motorcycle to transport him to the hospital.

“I was not at the birthday party. He just ran into a bar I was in, and the woman selling drinks brought out a handkerchief and tied his injured hand. They then started waiting for a motorcycle, but most riders could not carry him because of the blood.

“When they finally got one and he entered, I guess it was already too late because of the bleeding. He slumped, started shaking, and died before getting to the hospital,” Ela said.

Similarly, an anti-cultism advocacy group, NaijaConfra, while sharing details of the incident on Facebook, noted that the argument between the suspect and the bar owner stemmed from allegations that the bar owner was making advances towards the suspect’s girlfriend.

The group wrote, “The incident happened around 2 am, when a girl who sells herbal drinks was celebrating her birthday at a bar close to her shop. She invited everybody, including Eiye members, who dominated the area. Stubborn was also present with his girlfriend, named Shade.

“While the party was going on, Shade was seen having a conversation with the owner of the bar. Stubborn became angry and confronted the bar owner for talking to his girl.

“Eyewitnesses at the party stated that it was Stubborn’s girlfriend who approached the bar owner and not the other way around. Stubborn then started oppressing the bar owner and was also angry with his girlfriend.”

NaijaConfra noted that the victim and suspect were members of the same cult group.

Confirming the incident in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Babaseyi Oluseyi, said the victim was confirmed dead at a nearby hospital where he was rushed to.

He noted that the police had commenced efforts to arrest the fleeing suspect.

“On 16/05/2026 at about 0610hrs, a report was made at Ayetoro Budo Division that one Kunle Akinlose ‘M’, aged 36 years, was allegedly stabbed with a broken bottle by one Damilola Fagbemi ‘M’, aged 31 years, during a fight at Abato Bar, Ifesowapo Bus Stop, Ayetoro Ota. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

“Upon receipt of the report, detectives swiftly visited the scene and commenced a preliminary investigation. Efforts have been intensified to apprehend the fleeing suspect, who is currently at large. The case will be transferred to SCID for further investigation,” Oluseyi said.