The family of former Konga CEO, Nick Imudia has disputed the claims that he died by suicide.
Nick Imudia reportedly jumped from the balcony of his apartment in Lekki, Lagos, on Tuesday night, June 25.
Before jumping, Imudia was said to have called his brother in the U.S. to discuss his wealth distribution and spoke to his daughter, telling her to look to the sky to see him.
However, in a statement on Sunday, Nick Imudia’s family denied these claims and said there is no evidence to suggest he committed suicide.
They emphasized that the Lagos Police are investigating the circumstances of his death.
“The family of Nick Imudia is unhappy with the unprofessional manner the media has wrongly characterized the reporting of Nick Imudia’s death as suicide.
“This is also supported by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police’s office which has vowed to investigate the sudden death of Nick,” the statement signed by the deceased brother, Dr. Anthony Imudia, read in part.
The family criticized the media for prematurely reporting Imudia’s death as a suicide, saying that he did not make the alleged calls to his brother or daughter.
They questioned how the news was reported so quickly, even before the family knew about it and while medical efforts were ongoing.
“Nick neither called his brother in America with instructions on how to distribute his wealth nor placed a call to his daughter with any instructions.
“How come the news was reported so hastily (less than 3 hours from his death) before his family members even knew about it – and the medical team was still trying to resuscitate him at the hospital? The Imudia family wonders!”
Nick Imudia’s family also noted that the former Konga CEO never showed signs of stress or depression.
They explained that Imudia was on a short visit to Lagos and was planning to return to his base in Nairobi the day after his death.
“Nick Imudia, until his death was the Group CEO of D.light International with Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was residing. He managed the company’s worldwide operations from Nairobi.
“Nick was full of life and people who worked closely with him or met him in the last hours prior to the incident surrounding his death were shocked with the media attributing his death to ‘suicide’.
“He was on a short visit to Lagos after a brief trip to the Netherlands and was to return to Nairobi a day after his sudden death.
“Nick made his initial career mark with Nokia, the Finnish-ba Telecommunication Company before he was transferred from Helsinki to manage Nokia Asia operations in Singapore.
“Later in his career with Nokia, he was appointed as the Managing Director of Nokia – West and Central Africa. When Microsoft bought Nokia, he opted to leave the company. Looking for a new challenge, he became the CEO of Konga Nigeria where he reengineered the company’s operation.
“At his prime age and the level of his achievements, people who knew Nick well are all shocked and do not accept the characterization of his death as suicide.
“Members of Nick’s family do request the media and the general public to allow them to grieve their loved one without any unfounded rumour of the circumstances surrounding his death,” the family stated.
KanyiDaily haf also reported how the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Gbolahan Olugbemi tragically committed suicide in his apartment in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.