34-year-old Nigerian Asylum Seeker, Babatunde Stabbed to Death in Ireland
34-year-old Quham Babatunde, a Nigerian asylum seeker was stabbed to death by a knife wildling man in a ‘barbaric’ attack in Dublin, Ireland.
The attack on Babatunde and other stabbing event, according to Irish media, has raised concerns over knife violence in the Irish capital spread.
Local newspaper reports that Babatunde had reportedly been attending an Afroswing gig at a nightclub in the Irish capital the evening before he was attacked.
Shortly after he was stabbed, Babatunde was treated by emergency services at the scene on South Anne Street in the early hours of Saturday morning, however, following ‘a number of stab wounds, including one to the heart’, he was rushed to St James’s Hospital where medics battled to save his life but he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Irish media reports that a murder investigation has been launched and two men have now been arrested and are being questioned by police.
Mr Babatunde had been living in the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre in Ballyogan, south Dublin, RTE, the Irish national broadcaster, reported.
The scene of the fatal attack was sealed off after the attack to allow for a technical examination by forensic investigators.
Officers are also believed to be combing through CCTV and making door-to-door enquiries.
Senior officers are probing whether two groups clashed following the gig in the Twenty Two Dublin club when they were called to respond to what they called a ‘serious public order’ incident.
Commenting on Babatunde’s death, IPAS, in a message to residents of the Ballyogan IPAS centre, said Mr Babatunde was amongst the first IPAS residents who were accommodated there.
The statement said: ‘In light of this sad event, anyone who has been affected, IPAS has put in place support for both residents and staff to be able to get through this difficult time.
‘Our sincere condolences go out to his friends and family and anyone who knew him in Ballyogan.’
Former asylum seeker and activist Lucky Khambule told the Irish Mirror that residents of the Ballyogan centre were in shock over the death.
He said that friends of Mr Babatunde described him as a ‘happy’ person with a permanent smile on his face.
‘He was a people’s person. Always jovial and laughing. He was the kind of a person from what I can see that was a peaceful person who was minding his own business,’ he said.
‘It has shook the centre very hard. It’s a sad situation and my condolences go to his family.’
