The maternal aunt of late Nollywood actress Tope Osoba, Pejuola Ogunesan, has recounted the actress’s final hours, claiming she repeatedly feared that she would die on the same day she eventually passed away.
Pejuola made the disclosure while speaking with actor Kunle Afod, giving an account of the events that preceded Tope’s death.
She said she had been out of contact with Tope since 2023 after the actress left Evercare Hospital in Lekki, where she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, with her fiancé, Prophet Itunu Onadeko, and actress Foluke Daramola.
According to Pejuola, tensions between Tope and her family began after the actress accused them of taking her phone away while she was preparing for surgery. She said Tope subsequently blocked family members after their relationship deteriorated.
On the day of the incident, however, Pejuola said Tope reached out and expressed fear that she would die. She and her elder sister reportedly went to the police station where Tope was, with the actress recognising them and introducing them to the Divisional Police Officer as her aunties.
Pejuola said Tope had also been experiencing disturbing dreams and difficulty sleeping and eating. She was reportedly planning to seek spiritual assistance from prophetess Kehinde Osoba.
The aunt further claimed that Tope spoke about problems in her relationship with Onadeko, alleging that the prophet had relationships with other women and had asked her to leave his home while they pretended to have ended their relationship for two months.
She also said Tope disclosed that she had suffered three miscarriages despite being advised not to become pregnant for five years following her surgery.
Pejuola alleged that Tope later jumped out of a vehicle after LASTMA officials stopped another vehicle travelling ahead of them. According to her, the actress told an official that she did not know where they were taking her and requested to be taken to a police station.
The family later contacted Kehinde Osoba, whom Tope intended to visit for prayers. Pejuola said the prophetess asked them not to bring Tope to the church and promised to pick her up after her programme.
After waiting for hours and reportedly discovering that the church was locked, the family eventually took Tope to another church, where prayers were offered as she became increasingly distressed.
Tope later stayed with her family, but her condition reportedly worsened. Pejuola said the actress made a social media post titled “Ogo tuntun” (new glory), sent messages to several people and complained of feeling uncomfortable.
The family rushed her to a hospital, where they were referred to the Ogun State University Teaching Hospital. Pejuola said Tope’s condition deteriorated while they were on the way and she died shortly after they arrived.
Recounting the actress’s final moments, Pejuola said:
“When she called me that she was going to die that day, although we were not on good terms after she left Evercare Hospital in Lekki with her fiancé, Prophet Itunu Onadeko, and actress Foluke Daramola in 2023.
“She had told them that she didn’t want to see us because we collected her phone when she was supposed to focus on the surgery for her breast cancer.
“We tried calling her and discovered that she had blocked all of us. Since then, I swore never to have anything to do with her again. I called my elder sister, whom she had also called, and we headed for the police station where she was.”
“She (Temitope) would complain of not being able to sleep, seeing monsters and the fiancé. Now that Aunty Peju is here, she would die. She mentioned that the fiancé had told her that they would post her obituary that day.”
“She was just saying that the guy said she would die today.”
“When we got there, they referred us to OSUTH. Suddenly, she just defecated in the car. Her head suddenly dropped. Before we could get to the emergency, she was confirmed dead.”
