A gospel artiste, Matthew Ogundele, and three members of his crew have been found dead inside a music studio in the Abraham Adesanya area of Ajah, Lagos State.

The deceased crew members were identified as Itunu Ogundele, Joseph Sanya, and a blogger, Matthew Awosanya, popularly known as JoesTv.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that the victims were invited to minister on Tuesday, the second day of a three-day birthday praise programme organised by a female gospel artiste, Olanireti Akinbola.

A police source disclosed on Saturday that the programme started in the evening and ran late into the night, prompting the artistes to stay overnight in the studio. Their lifeless bodies were reportedly discovered the following morning.

“The convener invited several gospel artistes for her three-day birthday praise which began on Monday. Matthew Ogundele and his team ministered on the second day. Because the session ended late, they decided to sleep over in the studio. Their bodies were found the next morning,” the source said.

A Christian blog, Omojesu, also reported the incident in a Facebook post, stating that the victims could not return home due to the distance.

“In pursuit of a better life, a blogger known as JoesMediaTv and three musicians were invited to perform at a virtual birthday praise event at a studio around Ajah. Due to the distance from their homes, they decided to stay overnight. They reportedly passed away in their sleep,” the post read.

It was further gathered that the incident was reported at the Ajiwe Police Station, Ajah, while colleagues and friends of the deceased have taken to social media to demand justice.

Images circulating online, allegedly showing bloodstains from the noses, ears and mouths of the victims, have sparked public concern and speculation over the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said the case was reported on Wednesday by the studio owner, Akintayo Akinbola, who is also the husband of the programme’s organiser.

According to Adebisi, Akintayo stated that he left the artistes in his studio located inside the HFP Shopping Complex on Tuesday night after buying food for them, as they were preparing for a music concert.

“He explained that the artistes returned to the studio with the food while he went home. However, around 11am on Wednesday, he returned and discovered that the studio door was locked from the inside. After calling for help, the door was forced open and the bodies of the four individuals were found,” she said.

Adebisi added that detectives visited the scene and documented it, noting that no visible signs of violence were observed on the bodies.

“The corpses were taken to the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, where they were confirmed dead by a medical doctor.

They were later deposited at the Mainland General Hospital mortuary for autopsy,” she said.

She disclosed that the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, for further investigation.