Ganiyat was a young mother of three, living an ordinary life in River Valley Estate, Ogun State, until violence followed her into the place that should have been safest — her home. By the time help arrived that night, she had lost so much blood that there was little the doctors could do. Her internal organs were badly damaged. At about 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2026, she was pronounced dead at Gifted Hands Hospital.
She had been a mother for 13 years. On that night, her children became witnesses to a tragedy no child should ever see.
Neighbours say the first scream came after the first stab. After the second, Ganiyat reportedly tried to escape. She was dragged back and stabbed again. Bleeding heavily, she managed to stagger towards the gate of the house, leaving a trail of blood behind her. Her cries drew neighbours, who rushed in and helped convey her to the hospital.
Along the way, struggling for breath, she reportedly tried to explain what had happened. She insisted she had done nothing wrong.
“I just entered the house,” she was said to have told those helping her. “He attacked me.”
Doctors later confirmed that the knife wounds, including injuries close to her lungs, had severely affected her breathing. Minutes after arriving at the hospital, she died.
Those who lived nearby described Ganiyat’s husband, Mr. Ayoola Ayanwale, as a serial wife beater. According to accounts, he had allegedly attempted to force his wife to ingest a poisonous substance after sending their older child to buy a locally known pesticide. When she reportedly refused, he allegedly locked the younger children in a room, picked up a knife, and stabbed her repeatedly — in the presence of their children.
What followed stunned even those already shaken by the brutality of the attack. Witnesses alleged that after the assault, the accused husband returned to the apartment to clean blood stains before fleeing.
Barely 12 hours later, Mr. Ayanwale was found in an open field in Sotubo, a suburb of Ogun State, gasping for breath. He was later pronounced dead in what police suspect to be a suicide. Items recovered at the scene included a bottle containing a suspected liquid substance, two mobile phones, a voter’s card, and an ATM card.
The Ogun State Police Command confirmed awareness of the incident, saying a detailed statement would be issued.
Today, three children are left with memories instead of parents — memories of violence, fear, and loss that may follow them for the rest of their lives. Neighbours recalled that even in her final moments, Ganiyat asked for water and wondered what offence she had committed to deserve such brutality.
There was no answer.
This is not just another crime story. It is a human story, one that echoes far too often across Nigeria. Advocates continue to remind society that marriage is not a do-or-die arrangement. Love is not violence. Endurance is not a virtue when it is killing you.
Experts warn that abusive relationships rarely get better with silence. They escalate. And too often, they end in funerals.
To every woman trapped in fear, Ganiyat’s story carries a painful but urgent message: staying alive is more important than staying married. There is no honour in suffering quietly, and no shame in choosing yourself.
The year has just begun. Another woman is already gone.
