Wife of social care worker murdered in Manchester pays tribute to ‘doting father’ of three
A social care worker shot dead in a double murder at an outdoor lockdown party was a “doting father” to to his three children and a “loving husband”, his wife has said.
Abayomi Ajose, 36, was gunned down along with 21-year-old Cheriff Tall at a “spontaneous gathering” which followed hours after a Black Lives Matter family event nearby in Moss Side, Manchester, passed off peacefully last weekend.
Paying tribute to Mr Ajose (pictured) – also known as Junior – his wife Lola said: “Junior was an exceptional human being, he was my king and he treated me like his queen.
“Anything I needed he would get for me and always went beyond my expectations. The best thing about him for me was the way he showed his love for our three children.
“He will be sadly missed by all, I am devastated and heartbroken. I am left without a doting husband and a loving father to our three children.”
She said they first met when he was a customer at KFC in Gorton where she worked and within a few months of dating were living together and expecting their first child.
Earlier, Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said Mr Ajose was an “intuitive and compassionate social care professional”.
He said: “He had worked at many of our residential children’s homes over the last five years, building up trust and relationships with children, many of whom have experienced trauma from an early age.
“Abayomi’s death is devastating and our thoughts and prayers are for his family and loved ones, friends, colleagues – and for all the children who knew him.
“Our hearts also go out to the family and community of Cheriff who will also be facing such unimaginable anguish.”
Mr Tall had visited the Houses of Parliament to lobby MPs about youth violence before his death.
In a tribute to him, his family said: “Cheriff loved his parents dearly, he was very close to his mother and it’s impossible to say that she will ever recover from this senseless loss. He was a model son, they doted on him and they are overcome with grief.”
Police and mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham have insisted the street party, with a DJ and PA system, on a car park in the middle of a block of flats in the inner-city district, was not a “rave” after days earlier promising to crack down on such gatherings during the lockdown.
The family event had been “sanctioned” by Manchester City Council and police but it was then followed by a “spontaneous gathering”, police said.
Residents complained about the noise and disturbance, and police say they monitored the event but had no intelligence of any criminal activity and later decided it was “unachievable” to safely disperse.
Both men were shot around 1am on Sunday on Caythorpe Street in Moss Side and later died in hospital.
Footage circulating on social media showed hundreds of people at the event.
No arrests have been made.
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