How Ex Ondo Commissioner Ranti Akerele Died

Akerele's body being moved from his house

A former Information Commissioner and a chieftain of the Labour Party, LP, in Ondo State, Ranti Akerele, yesterday, died in his sleep.

Akerele, 53, a renown broadcaster was appointed in 2011 by Governor Olusegun Mimiko as his pioneer Information commissioner.

Hundreds of chieftains of the party in the state who invaded his Aule Government Residential Area, GRA, residence described his death as unfortunate and sad.

Vanguard gathered that Akerele, on Monday evening, had visited his wife, Lucy, who was on admission in a private hospital for an undisclosed ailment.

He was said to have taken food and other necessary things to her.

It was gathered that he retired to his bedroom that evening after informing his domestic staff and the  security man to switch off the generator and lock the gate.

His two sons, it was gathered, returned to the boarding house of their school last week.

The deceased was the only one in his bungalow while the wife was on admission in the hospital.

Vanguard gathered that he might have died in his sleep.

The wife was said to have expected him yesterday  morning in the hospital but when she could no longer bear it she put a call across to his mobile phone severally but it was not answered.

Disturbed, the wife called the security man on phone at about 9 a.m. who complained that his Oga was yet to come out of the house.

The security man was asked to peep through the window after which he told the wife that the deceased was still on the bed but did not respond to his calls.

A source hinted  that the wife rushed from the hospital even with drips in her hand to see things for herself.

The deceased neighbours with the wife reportedly forced the bedroom door open only to meet him dead on the bed.

His corpse has been moved to First Mercy Specialist Hospital in Akure.

It’s sad, sudden and shocking —Ondo govt

Reacting on behalf of the state government, the state Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, described his death as sad, sudden and shocking.

He described Akerele as an hard working man who left when the state needed his contribution towards the development of the state.

Akinmade urged the people of the state to take solace in the fact that while alive he served the state in different capacities and was able to contribute his quota to the development of the state.

The commissioner, however, condoled with the wife, children and family of the late former commissioner and prayed to God to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.