The large turnout at the burial of Taiwo Jamani, the CEO of Ireland-based Data Link Company, who died in a Beaumount hospital, Ireland, at about 4 am on November 12, after going into coma for a month, would not come as a surprise to many. Until his death, Jamani was a darling of many of his Nigerian compatriots based in Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. The deceased businessman regarded by many as a philanthropist was laid to rest at Flemington Cemetery, Balscadden Balbriggan, Dublin last Saturday.
Eyewitness accounts said the more than 2,000 people who attended the burial could not conceal their grief as they wailed endlessly. And while it was an occasion for mourning, it also provided an opportunity for many of the late Jamani’s friends and associates to meet his twin brother, Kehinde, for the first time.
While he is till saddened by the loss of his brother, Kehinde has decided to take the matter stoically, saying that the only thing left to do was to pray for the repose of his twin brother’s soul. “There is nothing we can do now but leave everything in the hands of God,” he said.
Consequently, 45- year-old Kehinde says he would not press for charges against his twin brother’s suspected killer. “It is only God who can deal with the person responsible for Taiwo’s death. God will deal with him in His own way. Vengeance is God’s; I cannot handle that,” he posted on his Facebook account.
And he added that no special effort would be made to immortalise his deceased brother in spite of his popularity before his death. Kehinde believes that the impact he made on the lives of people while he was alive was enough to immortalise his name.
He also explained why the bereaved family decided not to bring the late Jamani’s body to Nigeria for burial. According to Kehinde, ”Taiwo (Jamani) would have been buried in Nigeria, but all his children are based abroad. Besides, it is a taboo for parents to see the graveyards of their children. That could shorten the lives of their parents, hence the decision to bury him abroad.”
Kehinde, who lives in the United Kingdom, and his late twin brother are half- Yoruba and half-Edo. His mother, he said, hails from Ekiti, while his father is a native of Auchi. “But we both grew up in Lagos. It was a good experience,” he said.
He also recalled that as it is common with young identical twins, he and his late brother played many pranks while growing up. And being identical did not come without a price as Kehinde said he was punished many times for the sins of his twin brother just as his twin brother was also punished for his own sins.
Even their girlfriends, he said, found it difficult to identify them. “Because we were so identical, we ended up dating the same girls when we were growing up,” he recalled.
At Jamani’s burial, his Dutch wife, Helen, who has two children for Jamani, was the cynosure of all eyes. But Biola, the woman whose boyfriend allegedly killed Jamani because he suspected that they were dating themselves, was absent at the burial. Close sources say she feels embarrassed by the saga and has come under so much pressure that she hardly goes out these days. “Biola no longer goes out like she used to because people are insinuating that Jamani was killed because of her,” a source said.
Jamani, owner of Data Link Company, Dublin, was allegedly attacked by 37-year-old Jooda Akanbi (a.k.a Sharon) on October 10, on Main Street in Dublin town at about 12.20 pm after an argument broke out between them. It was alleged that Taiwo Jamani was dating Biola, a mother of three, the same woman Jamani’s alleged killer, Akanbi Jooda, was dating.
Biola has continued to deny ever dating Jamani. In an exclusive interview with an online publication, poddesk.blogspot.com, Biola reportedly voiced her frustration over Jamani’s death.
“I don’t know what I have done to deserve these hatred and lies flying all over the place about me. Why would they say I was his girlfriend and that he was killed because of me?
“Taiwo was a very nice guy. He was nice to everybody and to me and my kids. Initially, I never wanted to say anything. I thought that after the burial, everything would die down and Taiwo would rest in peace, but the lies have persisted and they are getting worse.
“I am human and it is beginning to weigh me down. Why would anybody want to tarnish my image? I just want to make it clear that I never dated Taiwo of blessed memory. He was like a brother to me,“ Biola was quoted as saying.
