A rights advocacy organisation, Speak Out for Justice Advocacy Ltd/Gte (SOJA), has called for a full, independent and transparent investigation into the death of 51-year-old Nigerian academic, Dr Ayodele Temidayo Odularu, found dead at her residence in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province on August 16.
The demand was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by its Founder and Executive Director, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, following concerns raised by the family over the circumstances of her death.
Odularu, a researcher associated with the University of Fort Hare, was found dead at her residence, with the university subsequently holding a memorial service in her honour.
SOJA said no competent authority had publicly established the cause or manner of death, adding that the uncertainty makes a credible investigation imperative.
The group cautioned against prematurely labelling the death as murder, xenophobic attack or other crime without evidence, but warned that the absence of an established cause should not be grounds to close the case without exhaustive investigation.
It urged the South African Police Service, prosecutorial authorities and medico-legal officials to establish the precise medical cause of death, reconstruct events leading to it, and preserve critical evidence including CCTV footage, phone records, post-mortem and toxicology reports.
SOJA said investigators must examine all possibilities — criminality, discrimination, xenophobic hostility, interpersonal conflict, accident or medical causes — in line with South Africa’s Constitution, the Inquests Act 58 of 1959, and international human rights obligations.
It also called on the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigeria’s mission in South Africa to engage the family, provide consular assistance, monitor the investigation and take diplomatic action where credible evidence of crime or discrimination is established.
“Dr Odularu was a Nigerian citizen, but she was also a human being living and working within the jurisdiction of South Africa. Her nationality could never lawfully reduce the protection owed to her life,” the group said.
SOJA urged that her remains be treated with dignity, her family kept informed, and anyone found culpable prosecuted, adding that if evidence shows natural or accidental death, it should be communicated transparently.
“Dr Ayodele Temidayo Odularu was not merely a statistic. She was a daughter, sister, colleague and mentor whose life had value and whose death deserves a truthful account,” it said, demanding stronger protection for Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa.
