PAINFULLY REGRETTABLE: SAD!
Damilola Toba, 19, Aisha Falode’s only Son Murdered in Dubai…Conspiracy of his British Girlfriend Exposed
* “There is a grand conspiracy to cover the murder of my Client’s son, Tobi in Dubai”
*“ I received a call from the security guard at Toba’s apartment block in a hysterical tone that something serious had just happened to my son”-Aisha Falode
* “We arrested everyone at the scene of the crime, interviewed them. The deceased fell down from the balcony-railings of 17th floor Apartment of 1703 Manchester Towers Building in Marina”-Dep. Director, Jebel Ali Police Station
BY TUNMININU SAMUEL/REPORTER, DUBAI
OLUWADAMILOLA Olotuntoba Falode, a-19 year old only son of ace journalist, Aisha Falode was a very lively young man, full of life and had so much aspiration to become a celebrated Audio-Production professional in Nigeria at the end of his course at SAE Institute, Dubai with Course No: BAP 1013 and Student ID No: DUB 11065. But his dream became impossible, when his supposed British girl friend, Olivia Evans allegedly connived with Faisal Al-Naser, another Dubai born student (a former boyfriend) to deceitfully ‘push’ Tobi down from the 17th floor of the apartment due to earlier altercation between the deceased and Faisal over who should be the ‘authentic’ boyfriend to Olivia.
Tobi’s body was moved to a morgue in Jeba Ali, behind Jeba Ali Police Station. The Deputy Director of this station who would not want his name in the media claimed as follows: “That they confirmed that Toba died in the morning of the 15th February at approximately 4am, That they indicated that this occurred around the premises of Toba’s apartment, the Manchester Tower, Dubai Marina, That they confirmed that there were five(5) other people with him at the time of his death – (4) four boys and a girl – a Nigerian, a French Canadian national, a South African and a Saudi national. The girl is British; That Toba had been drinking and by the early hours of the 15th of February, 2014 had consumed a lot of alcohol together with the other witnesses who were with him in the apartment, That close to the time of the accident, Toba was on the balcony of his flat with his alleged girlfriend.
“That Toba was sitting on the railing of his balcony with his feet off the floor and that he was swinging in this position backward and forward, That his girlfriend was still there with him, and was warning him to be careful, That she later went inside the flat and shortly after, they all noticed that Toba was no longer sitting on the railings or on the balcony, and must have fallen down from the balcony railings, That his friends all rushed down and found him lying dead in front of the apartment block, That they then called the Police who took charge of things; That all statements of the witnesses as described above were similar and that they were all interviewed separately.
“That forensic evidence including the examination of Toba’s body at autopsy did not reveal anything to contradict this version of events, That they were no injuries on Toba’s body inconsistent with a fall from a great height as the cause of his death, That there was no evidence of bruising or other injury to indicate anything else could be blamed as the cause of his death, That his blood alcohol level taken after his death as part of investigations, was above the legal intoxication limits, That based on their findings, they decided therefore not to conduct a full internal autopsy, That if from their investigations they had even the slightest indication of anything other than this version of events they would definitely have conducted an autopsy”.
Position of Aisha Falode & Festus Keyamo (the family’s lawyer)
Festus Keyamo, lawyer to Falode’s family states that “We are solicitors to the Falode Family and in particular, Mrs. Aisha Falode, mother of Mr. Oluwadamilola Oloruntoba Falode (a 19-year old student) who was murdered in Dubai, UAE in the wee hours (about 3.30am) of the 15th of February, 2014. The facts of this matter are as follows:
1. Mr. Oluwadamilola Oloruntoba Falode (herein referred to as Toba Falode) was a student of SAE Institute, Dubai in the UAE who was admitted to study Audio Production with Course No: BAP: 1013, and student ID No: DUB11065 sometime in October, 2013.
2. Mr. Toba Falode lived on the 17th floor (Apartment 1703) Manchester Towers, Dubai Marina, Dubai.
3. In the wee hours of the 15th of February, 2014, Mrs. Aisha Falode received a call from the security guard at Toba’s apartment block informing her in a hysterical tone that something serious had just happened to her son, Toba.
4. That Mrs. Aisha Falode, then called her son’s friend, one Nick Allison, a South African, who informed our client that Toba had passed on from falling from his balcony. He said he was right there with Toba’s remains in Toba’s apartment.
5. That our client made various frantic calls to Toba’s pastor (his guardian in Dubai), to go to the scene. In the end, the police came and took away Toba’s body and arrested all those at the scene.
6. Four (4) days later, when the Falode family went to bring the corpse of Toba back home for burial, they met with the Deputy Director of the Jebel Ali police station.
7. That he had the case file of the investigation into Toba’s death with him, from which he read. The summary of their report is as follow:
8. However, because of the various inconsistencies in the Police Report given to the family of our client, Mrs. Aisha Falode, in company of our Head of Chambers, Mr. Festus Keyamo and another family member, travelled to Dubai in the UAE on Friday, the 18th day of April, 2014 to see and hear things for themselves. Whilst in the country, the three of them met with the friends of Toba Falode who were present in the apartment on that fateful day.
9. The friends in questions are Nick Allison (a South African Student), and Ebele Oladeji Onwugbufor (a Nigerian Student) also studying at SAE Institute in the UAE.
10. The summary of the accounts of these friends are totally different from what the police report indicated and has revealed a most shameful and disgraceful attempt by the authorities in Dubai to shield obvious murder suspects from the long arms of the law.
11. The friends and witnesses in question volunteered written statements to us (which we attach herewith for your perusal) and we summarize their account as follows:
a. That sometime in December, 2013, the said Faisal Aldakmary Al-Nasser stormed the apartment of the deceased, Oluwadamilola Oloruntoba Falode and ordered Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans (his supposed girlfriend) out of Toba’s apartment, accusing her of having an affair with Toba Falode.
b. That a fight was to have ensued from this confrontation, but for the intervention of other mutual friends. Since then, there was no love lost between Toba and Faisal Aldakmary Al-Nasser.
c. That in the evening of the 14th of February, 2014, Toba, together with his friends, namely, Ebele Oladeji Onwugbufor, Nick Allison and Joachim Santene went to a club in Dubai known as M Deck, Media 1 Hotel, Media City.
d. That at the club, they again met the said Faisal Aldakmary Al-Nasser and Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans who came together to the club.
e. That again an argument started at the Club concerning Olivia, and shortly after this, Faisal and Olivia left the Club.
f. That Deji was emphatic that the quarrel was to the effect that Faisal was still accusing her of still dating Toba.
g. That shortly after the two left the club, Toba and his friends also left the club.
h. On their return to Toba’s apartment, Toba, Nick and Deji were shocked and surprised to find Faisal and Miss Olivia outside Toba’s door, waiting. Olivia was crying hysterically and appeared frightened. Faisal, however, was very calm, with a determined look about him.
i. That Toba let them all into his apartment.
j. That after they all got into the apartment, Toba, Faisal and Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans entered his room “to sort things out”.
k. That shortly after, the three of them exited the room and went on to the balcony of the apartment on the 17th floor (though the account of who first went to the balcony and who joined thereafter are slightly varied).
l. That Deji was emphatic that a serious argument with raised voices and raised hands went on at the balcony. At some point Deji opened the curtains and saw this serious confrontation between the three of them going on.
m. Shortly after Deji closed the curtains (about twenty seconds later) Faisal and Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans came back into the room and announced that Toba had fallen off the railings. However, Faisal had blood splattered all over his shirt and he had bloody knuckles. There was also a noticeable cut on his finger.
n. It is significant to note that when Deji parted the curtains to look at the balcony, Toba was not sitting on the railing in the balcony.
o. At this point they all rushed downstairs to see Toba’s dead body lying several meters away from the building (approximately twelve to fifteen meters).
p. That the position of Toba’s body (which can still be verified today) was not consistent with someone dropping from the balcony (in which case the body would be much closer to the building) but was consistent with someone that was violently pushed or thrown from the balcony.
q. That the police arrived thereafter and arrested all of them to the station.
r. That before and during the journey to the station, Faisal kept repeating to the hearing of everyone that the maximum punishment for him would be twenty-five (25) years in jail and that the other boys should not worry. Meanwhile, Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans was hysterical and did not say anything.
s. That at a point, Deji had to shut Faisal up when this repetition of “at least 25 years in jail” kept going on and on.
t. That at the station, Faisal and Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans were kept away from the rest and were interviewed separately, whereas the other three were kept at a separate room and interviewed separately.
u. Deji and Nick Allison were clear that it is the above account that was narrated and written as statements to the police, yet the Police Report did not make any reference to the presence of Faisal or Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans on the balcony when Toba allegedly fell.
v. Later that night Faisal and Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans were released to go home without taking the blood stained T-shirt from Faisal.
w. Meanwhile, the other three were charged with drinking and other sundry offences and are facing these charges in court at present”.
Falode’s Lawyer writes Nigeria’s President, Senate President, Speaker House of Representatives & Minister of Foreign Affairs
Keyamo’s letter reads: “Hon. Minister, for too long, the lives of Nigerians living abroad have become too cheap and without any value. The most distressing of late is that Nigerian Students living and studying legitimately in so many countries have become subject of hostilities and murder. It is the way the Nigerian government handles situations like this that will either place a premium on the lives of every Nigerian living abroad or otherwise.
“No American or British citizen can be slaughtered anywhere in the world without their governments asking questions.
“In the case of Toba Falode, and every other Nigerian student that has been murdered abroad, those questions must be asked. This is one murder (of a Nigerian abroad) too many.
“We call on you to use your good offices to prevail on the authorities in Dubai to re-open the investigation into the murder of Toba Falode and to bring to book Mr. Faisal Aldakmary Al-Nasser and Miss Olivia Melanie Richards Evans both of whom murdered him in cold blood.
“We as Nigerians place a lot of value on human life and so does our authorities. This message needs to be conveyed to the world at large, that not only do we have a system that can protect us, but we refuse to be intimidated by any law that protects the unjust, not only for our dear Toba, but also in honor of the memory of all the other young lives that have been cut short”.
