Nigerian lawyer Ayo Odekunle dies of cancer — 6 months after being called to bar in Canada

Ayokunle Odekunle, a Nigerian legal practitioner based in Alberta, Canada, has died.

Odekunle, popularly known as Oddy, died on Friday after a prolonged battle with gastric cancer which was diagnosed in 2020.

Kaycee Madu, Nigerian-born former minister of justice and solicitor-general of Alberta, announced Odekunle’s passing on Saturday.

“It is with profound sadness that I bring to you that our dear brother, friend and colleague Ayokunle Odekunle @oddy4real lost his courageous battle with stage 4 cancer this evening,” Madu wrote in the statement posted on X(formerly Twitter).

“Ayo was a brilliant young lawyer who sacrificed so much to be called to the Alberta Bar this past June whilst terminally ill. We had hoped for a miracle.

“Ayo was so looking forward to enjoying the practice of law and prayed for a second chance so he could devote his healthy self to his beloved wife, Halimah. He loved his wife and two beautiful young children.

“In his lifetime, he stood for justice, merit and good governance. Ayo didn’t care where you come from, religion or ethnicity, and so long as you are a good person who stood for good, he will support you. He wanted the best for his fellow human beings.”

Odekunle is an alumnus of the University of Ibadan where he graduated in 2011 before he was called to the Nigerian Bar.

Despite being actively involved in litigation, his passion for writing spurred him to publish op-eds and commentaries on several media platforms, including YNaija. He also appeared on several television programmes.

Odekunle was recently called to the Alberta Bar in June 2023 whilst terminally ill.

He was married to Halima with whom he had two children.