A retired school principal, Alhaji Kazeem Ayodele, has been accused of killing his neighbour following a dispute over pawpaw trees in Owo, Ondo State.
The incident reportedly occurred on Friday, March 6, 2026, in the Uselu area of the town. The victim, 45-year-old Caroline Oluwaseun Aghoi, was said to have been attacked during a long-running disagreement between the two neighbours over two pawpaw trees located in her compound.
According to accounts from residents, the branches and fruits from the trees extended into Ayodele’s compound through the wall fence they shared. Ayodele had repeatedly complained that ripe pawpaw fruits and leaves frequently fell into his compound.
Caroline’s husband, who works as a driver, reportedly responded to the complaints by cutting down one of the trees. However, he declined to remove the second tree, saying he enjoyed pawpaw and wanted to keep it.
The disagreement allegedly escalated on Friday when Ayodele confronted Caroline with a large wooden plank. At the time, Caroline reportedly called her husband on the phone while the confrontation was taking place.
Her husband later told neighbours that he was still on the phone with his wife when he suddenly heard a loud bang before the call abruptly ended. Alarmed, he rushed home and reportedly found Caroline lying in a pool of blood.
She was immediately taken to a nearby hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Following the incident, Ayodele allegedly locked himself inside his house before attempting to flee the area. Residents said he was later apprehended near the Second Transformer junction in the community.
Authorities are expected to investigate the incident as residents expressed shock that a dispute over a fruit tree could lead to a fatal confrontation.
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