Nigerian man to spend the rest of his life in UK prison for killing wife

The man was said to have committed the crime in their home last year.

A 48-year-old Nigerian man, Olubunmi Abodunde, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the United Kingdom (UK) for the murder of his wife, Taiwo.

Abodunde was convicted of murder after being dragged to court for killing his wife in their Newmarket home in November 2023.

Abodunde admitted to the attack, which resulted in Taiwo's catastrophic brain injuries.

An Ipswich Crown Court, which ruled on the case, noted the severity of the attack at their Exning Road residence, imposing a minimum of 17 years before parole consideration.

Despite bail conditions prohibiting contact, Abodunde went to the family home the morning after a domestic incident to retrieve a mobile phone.

Taiwo, a mother of three, returned from her overnight shift as a health care assistant, where CCTV captured her arrival moments before the attack.

Police arrived after hearing sounds of the assault, discovering Taiwo's lifeless body with severe injuries.

Prosecutor Stephen Spence KC told the court that Abodunde was aware of his wife’s shift pattern and CCTV showed she had arrived back at about 09:12 am.

Spence stated, “Only the defendant now knows what happened. The officers repeatedly knocked on the door and notified them of their presence but got no response or heard any calls for help.”

However, between 40 and 50 “thuds” were heard and it was believed to be Abodunde attacking his wife.

Officers were given clearance by senior police officials to enter the property at 09:45 am, the court was told.

A postmortem examination revealed the deceased suffered catastrophic brain injuries, consistent with being hit with a skateboard and being stamped on.

The court heard evidence of strangulation. Abodunde sobbed from the dock as the prosecution recounted the events leading to the tragic outcome.