Here is what to know about Bumpa’s co-founder’s death

Adetunji Opayele, the co-founder and chief technical officer (CTO) of Bumpa, a retail automation startup, died on the 5th of March 2025.

Although his death was attributed to an accident, new information as regards the happenings that surrounded his death have now come to light.

A petition directed to the Lagos State Government made on change.org initiated by ‘Teejay Legacy,’ has revealed that the accident was allegedly caused by a Biola Adams-Odutayo.

The petition which has gotten a little over 30,000 signatures as of reporting, read in part, “After a long day at work on March 4th, Teejay went to the iFitness gym in Victoria Island before heading home on his power bike.

“At about 10:20 pm, as he rode along Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island, Lagos, he had the right of way when Miss Biola Adams-Odutayo driving a vehicle with licence number LND 418 JR merged onto the expressway without considering approaching traffic, thereby crashing into him.”

“Biola and her friend had just left a restaurant by the expressway where they had dinner. Despite having a driver, she chose to drive herself, while she asked her driver to drive her friend’s car following behind.
Though fully equipped with safety gear, Teejay was knocked unconscious, sprawled on the road,” the petition added.

According to the petition, after the crash, Adams-Odutayo refused to step out of her vehicle to check on Opaleye.

When the bystanders approached her friend, she allegedly said, “She doesn’t want blood to stain her car.”

As Opaleye lay unconscious but still breathing, Adams-Odutayo, a healthcare professional who works at a reputable insurance brokering firm allegedly stayed on a phone call for over 30 minutes instead of helping save Opaleye’s life or even assessing the situation.

Although Opaleye was taken to two different hospitals, both refused to admit him.

“Desperate to save his life, the Samaritans returned to the accident scene, placed Teejay in a minibus (known as korope), and forced Adams Odutayo to accompany them, hoping that her presence would prevent further rejections,” the report read.

“She reluctantly followed. The only reason she remained at the accident scene was because bystanders physically prevented her from fleeing especially after she had already arranged for her car to be towed away,” it added.

Shortly after, Opaleye’s brother got to the scene and met a Samaritan who had held on to his properties. They went to the hospital where Opaleye had been taken to, on arrival, Opaleye had been declared dead.

According to the organisers, the actions of Adams-Odutayo has thrown the family into a deep sense of grief.

“The inhumane actions and complete lack of empathy from Biola Adams-Odutayo have forever changed our lives. The family has lost an irreplaceable asset and Nigeria has lost one of its brightest minds,” they said.

They added, “What makes this pain even worse is the shocking behavior of Biola Adams-Odutayo and those around her. After Teejay was declared dead, she walked into the hospital and requested a drip, claiming she was in shock. Then, she attempted to flee.”

After her arrest, she and her family have allegedly boasted of their ‘connections’ and engaged several tactics against Opaleye’s grieving family and friends.

The petition noted that Adams-Odutayo indeed made good on those connections, as the Nigerian police charged her with reckless driving only as if Opaleye’s life was worth no more than a traffic violation.

Adams-Odutayo was detained for only one night at the police station, and her whereabouts remained unknown until she was charged to court for mere reckless driving.

Her bail conditions were set at N1 million and two sureties, which she met on the same day.

The organisers of the petition requested proof that Biola Adams-Odutayo is still in Lagos, and that she ve properly charged with manslaughter also, not just a lesser offence of reckless driving.

Also, they request that the Lagos State Ministry of Justice must ensure that justice is not derailed by an orchestrated cover-up and that the Inspector General of Police and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police must ensure due process is followed and that no one is above the law.

Finally, they request that the Osun State government must must intervene to ensure that justice is served.

Before his work with Bumpa, Opayele had an extensive career in software development, holding roles in both Nigeria and the United States, including positions with Nigerian financial services provider E-Settlement and web hosting company HostCabal, which he founded.

In honour of his legacy, Bumpa has said it will build an AI assistant named Teejay “that will always be on Bumpa, providing business insights and solving problems just like he did.”