Couples Died Same Day in Osun After 35 Years of Love Affairs

Chief Adeyemi Olukayode Adegoke and his wife, Mrs Janet Mojirade Adegoke, shared a love story defined by simplicity, faith and deep companionship for more than three decades. Friends, families and society witnessed their love affairs which was a subject of envy around Ofatedo area, Odunola farm, Osogbo, Osun State, where they lived.

The fruit of love and devotion of the Adegokes spread from their modest home of Osogbo town to rustic community of Erin-Osun in Irepodun local government area of Osun State, the hometown of the husband.

The couple built a life anchored on mutual respect and shared purpose, both in their home and in public service of Osun State. The 65-year-old Chief Adegoke served diligently at the Osun State Sports Council, while his 59-year-old wife was a committed civil servant at the Ministry of Justice, balancing professional responsibility with devotion to family.
Beyond their careers, the Adegokes were known for their strong bond and quiet affection. They worshipped together, attended church programmes side by side and were regular faces at social gatherings, where their easy laughter and warm interactions reflected a friendship that went beyond marriage. Friends and neighbours often described them not just as husband and wife, but as companions who genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.

However, their love stories ended not with separation, but with a shared final breath on January 7th 2026. The deaths of the married couple on the same day have continued to stir awe, grief and deep reflection among residents which was described as “destiny fulfilled”.

This rare but poignant occurrence tell tales of lifelong companionship, emotional bonds too strong to survive loss, and relationships that transcended life itself.

A relation to Chief Adegoke, Mr Oyetade Olayiwola speaking with THE NATION explained that the deceased was his uncle who cared so much about those people around him.

Narrating the last moments of the couple, he said “I went to see my uncle on Wednesday but his wife who had been taking care of him told me that she travelled, I told her that I will come see them them later. But on Thursday night, after the wife came around, she called to inform me that my uncle is dead. We were making arrangements with other relatives when one of us rushed to Mama’s place with car, but she had slumped. That my brother rushed at her, tried to revive her but she was not responding. He called me on phone and I directed him to take her to the hospital where she was certified dead.”

Olayiwola described the incident as a grievous loss to the family who had enjoyed the love life of the couple.

“I must confess that we are greatly disturbed and devastated by the death of our beloved uncle and his wife. Two of them died within one hour. We lost the strength to bear these losses. I have never heard it in my life…they were not involved in an accident nor take poison, they were only attached to each other emotionally and it resulted in this.”

Speaking about the illness of Chief Adegoke, Olayiwola confirmed that he was bedridden for close to three weeks as a result of malaria which his wife had been taking care of him.

Similarly, a childhood friend of the late husband, Mr Olusegun Afolabi could not hold his tears of grief when being interviewed by THE NATION, as he sobbed while relishing on the memories he had with Adegoke especially when he followed him to the family house of Mrs Janet Mojirade Adegoke for the first time in Osogbo.

He said “Over 30 years ago, I accompanied Adegoke to the house the family of Janet in Osogbo, she was living with her uncle who was working in First Bank. I followed him for self introduction, it was great moment for us, we were so happy that day, after we left their house, we did not see any public transport coming to Erin-Osun, so we trekked from Osogbo to Erin that night.

“That same year, they did wedding with each other. They were very close thereafter, I never heard that they ever fought. Their bond was awesome, they had three kids. They attend social events together.”

Mr Afolabi recalled that they have been friends since 1970s when they attended Oyo State College of Education, Ila-Orangun where he studied physical and health education.

“Adegoke later left the school in 1988 and we further at University of Nigeria, Nsukka. After that he made the decision to marry Mojirade of all the ladies that was around him. Since they got married, Mojirade respected all the people around her husband, she is indeed a good wife to my friend.”

The distraught friend continued, “My friend worked with Osun State Sport Council before he retired while his wife who worked at the Ministry of Justice was set to retire in 2027.

“I never heard of their fighting before because they gave each other self-respect. Nobody can say they ever fought before. They have 3 children, one of them is not in Nigeria.”

“We did the naming ceremony of Adegoke’s first child together. We use to make fun of each other, it was indeed a terrible loss. They loved each other to the point of death. They were buried beside each other in the same grave. I will ever miss my friend. He was the president of UNN Alumni, Osun State Chapter, we are planning our get-together when he died. He has even paid his dues for the event.”