He stands as the individual for whom Kofo Abayomi Street in Victoria Island, Lagos finds its namesake.
In a Lagos courtroom at Tinubu Square on August 25, 1923, Lagos Lawyer Moronfolu Abayomi met his tragic demise, a mere three months and 15 days after his wedding.
The perpetrator of Abayomi’s untimely death was none other than the well-known Lagos entrepreneur and “big boy,” Duro Delphonso, belonging to the renowned Delphonso family. The genesis of this tragic event was a legal dispute between Delphonso and his insurance company, which led to the hiring of the young and dynamic lawyer, Barrister Moronfolu Abayomi.
As the legal proceedings unfolded, the adept Barrister successfully demonstrated Delphonso’s act of arson on his own property, aiming to deceive the insurance company. On that fateful day of August 25, 1923, as Delphonso was being escorted out of the court to begin his prison term, he wielded a revolver, firing a fatal shot at Abayomi before turning the weapon on himself.
Barrister Moronfolu Abayomi succumbed to the fatal wound during transit to the hospital, the bullet having penetrated his lungs. Delphonso, despite being hospitalized, defiantly rejected treatment and passed away six days later on August 31, 1923.
The grieving widow, Oyinkansola, refused to open her heart to love again until 1929 when a young doctor named Kofoworola John offered her a love surpassing that of her late husband. Oyinkansola agreed to marry under the condition that Kofoworola John adopt her late husband’s name, Abayomi, relinquishing his own name, John. Surprisingly, he acquiesced, and they tied the knot in 1930. Their union lasted 48 years until Sir Kofoworola Abayomi’s passing on January 1, 1979, at the age of 82. Lady Oyinkansola Abayomi lived to the venerable age of 93.
In tribute to his legacy, Kofo Abayomi Street in Victoria Island, Lagos, bears his name.