Nigeria’s first professor of criminology, Femi Odekunle, dies of COV-19

A member of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Femi Odekunle has died at the age of 77.

Odekunle, who was Nigeria’s first Professor of Criminology died at the COVID-19 Isolation Center in Gwagwalada, Abuja, Tuesday evening.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha announced the demise of Odekunle at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing, saying that “A good friend of this government just passed on at 6:30pm”.

Odekunle was a graduate of the University of Ibadan in 1968 and got his PhD in Sociology and Social Psychiatry from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States, in 1974.

Before his death, he lectured at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Kaduna, and other universities.

President Muhammadu Buhari has also reacted to the death of the PACAC member in a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu.

Buhari described Odekunle as a valued friend and a towering intellectual giant with an impeccable knowledge of his chosen academic field as he expressed shock at the demise.

“His death is very saddening. His lasting contributions, as well as his charisma, wit and sense of humor, will be sorely missed by all of us, his friends and associates. May the Almighty repose his soul,” he said.

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