Lagos lawyer, Fred Agbaje, dies in London

Lagos lawyer, Fred Agbaje, dies in London

Gbenga Adeniji and Lekan Adetayo

There were indications on Saturday that a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Fred Agbaje, died in an unknown hospital in London after going into a coma.

Though the majority of the lawyer’s close associates refused to confirm or deny his death, one of them, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was initially admitted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital when he took ill.  The source added that he was later flown out of the country.

One of our correspondents made several calls to his mobile phone, which were unanswered, before the telephone later indicated that it had been switched off.  Agbaje was also very active on WhatsApp but the platform indicated that he was last seen on November 18 at 9.55pm.

The late lawyer told one of our correspondents not long ago during an interview that he was gradually working on earning a PhD because his late father, who got a PhD in Church History, insisted he did so.

There has been no official statement from members of his family regarding the cause of his death.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday, commiserated with the late lawyer’s family, friends and colleagues.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President said he received the news of Agbaje’s death with shock.

He said, “He was an ardent advocate against corruption and canvasser for internal democracy in political parties, who also believed strongly in the sanctity of the ballot box.”