The family of Aiguokhian has called for justice following the death of their 22-year-old son, Ayomide, who was allegedly electrocuted while working at a Chinese-owned factory in the Mowe area of Ogun State.
Ayomide, a 400-level student of the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, died on September 8, 2026, while working at the company during his holiday.
His father, Smart Aiguokhian, who spoke with PUNCH Metro on Tuesday, accused the company of negligence, alleging that its management failed to inform the family about the incident before taking the deceased to a hospital and subsequently depositing his body at a mortuary.
The distraught father said he only learnt of his son’s death after receiving a call from a mortuary attendant the following morning.
“The mortuary attendant called me and said they had brought my son to their mortuary and that he was deposited there by Lexzis Production Company, owned by Chinese people. I shouted, ‘How come?’ Immediately, I got ready and ran to the factory. I was shocked when I arrived at the factory and learnt that my son was electrocuted.
“I asked them why they did not call me. They said he was electrocuted. I asked, ‘Electrocuted, and you did not call me?’ You took him to the hospital and the mortuary, but why did you not call me? It was the mortuary attendant who eventually called me,” he added.
Aiguokhian said the family was devastated when they arrived at the mortuary to identify the body.
He added that the deceased’s elder sister fainted when he saw the corpse of his brother.
“We were all crying. When we got to the mortuary, I found blood all over his body. Blood was coming from his nostrils, mouth and ears. We were perplexed because we had hoped that when we got there, we might discover that it was not even my son.
“My daughter also fainted upon seeing his body. I could not understand what had happened to my child. He was a brilliant young man, and he was even taller than me. He was just 22 years old,” he said.
The father, however, called for accountability over the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In a legal notice to the company obtained by our correspondent, the family’s lawyer, Fidelis Irinsanmi of Kunlesanmi Chambers, alleged that the death resulted from negligence on the part of the factory’s management.
The lawyer claimed that an exposed machine caused the electrocution and alleged that police investigations had established negligence.
“The company’s failure to contact the deceased’s family after the incident and attempts to resolve the matter amicably had not yielded a satisfactory outcome,” he added.
The lawyer demanded a settlement and warned that failure to comply would prompt a civil suit seeking N300m in compensation.
The notice also threatened further legal action, including calls for the factory to be sealed and for the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.
When contacted for reaction on Wednesday, a representative of the company, identified simply as Mr Victory, however, denied that the management deliberately failed to contact the deceased’s family.
He said efforts were made to reach his parents on the night of the incident.
Victory said the incident occurred at night and that the company’s human resources officer made efforts to save the student’s life before he was taken to a hospital, where a doctor confirmed his death.
He added that the police were involved and the body was subsequently deposited at a mortuary.
He said, “There was a misunderstanding. The incident happened at night, and the human resources officer made every effort to ensure that the boy survived. Unfortunately, after he was taken to the hospital, the doctor confirmed his death.
“The police were involved that night, and the body was taken to the mortuary. The human resources officer was also making efforts to get the contact details of his parents. Eventually, he got a phone number through one of the deceased’s friends and contacted the father, who said he was already on his way.
“The mortuary attendant also found a phone in the deceased’s pocket. So, it is not correct to say that nobody made efforts to contact the family.”
Victory said the company and the family had been discussing compensation, but they had yet to reach an agreement. He claimed that during a meeting, the family requested N20m, while the company offered N50m to resolve the matter.
He said, “We have been meeting with the family and their lawyer to discuss how to settle the matter. At one point, they said they wanted N20m, and the company offered N50m so that the matter could be resolved. However, they did not accept the offer.
“The issue of an autopsy also came up because the family alleged that the company was responsible for the boy’s death. The company was willing to proceed with an autopsy to establish what happened. We did not deliberately kill anybody, and the company would not allow such a thing to happen.”
He added that the company was awaiting feedback from its management after the latest meeting, expressing hope that both parties would reach an agreement.
“No amount of money can bring the young man back. We are also unhappy about what happened, but we want the matter resolved. We are waiting for a response from the management so that we can know how to conclude the discussions,” Victory said.