Reverend David Ayuba Azzaman and 5 Popular Nigerian Pastors Who Have Died in Recent Years

• Tributes have poured in for Kaduna-based preacher Reverend David Ayuba Azzaman, who died in a fatal road accident on Saturday, May 24
• The outspoken clergyman's death happened when he was returning to his base and was met with mixed feelings
• In this article, Legit.ng lists six pastors, including Azzaman, who have died in recent years, throwing their followers into mourning

In recent years, Nigerians have mourned the demise of Christian clerics whose impact has been felt by many.

These clerics included prophets, pastors, evangelists, and even church founders, whose deaths shook the Christian community in Nigeria and its environs.

In this article, Legit.ng compiled the life and times of 6 pastors who have died in recent years.

1. David Ayuba Azzaman

Reverend David Ayuba Azzuman, a Kaduna-based cleric, lost his life in a fatal road accident on Saturday, May 24, 2025.

Azzaman was the late lead pastor of The King Worship Chapel and Ministry, Inc., Kaduna, and he died while travelling from Makurdi to Kaduna by road.

His death had attracted tributes from notable associations such as CAN and other churches, as many spoke about his love for Christ.

2. Evangelist Ayodeji Davids (Kekere Jesu)

In early April 2025, the death of popular online evangelist Ayodeji Davids, also known as Kekere Jesu, shook his followers.

Just like Azzaman, Kekere Jesu died in a car accident at the Ikorodu-Sagamu Expressway in Ogun state, alongside his close friend and interpreter, Evangelist Iyanu Joseph.

Also involved in the incident were Monjolajesu Oluwapamilerin and Opeyemi Adesina, who were said to be his fiancée and sister-in-law, respectively.

3. Taiwo Odukoya

The death of the Senior Pastor of Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Daniel Taiwo Odukoya, was announced on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, a day after he died in America.

Pastor Odukoya was born on June 15, 1956, and he obtained a degree in petroleum engineering in 1981.

Following his death, Jimmy Odukoya, his son and a well-known Nigerian actor, assumed the position as the senior pastor of the church, which boasts of over 8,000 members.

4. Wilson Badejo of Foursquare

The death of a former general overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Wilson Badejo, was announced on Saturday, August 7, 2021.

Badejo, who passed on at the age of 74 after a brief illness, served the church in several ministerial capacities, including being general overseer for 10 years.

The church, in a statement, described the late cleric as an accomplished servant of God, a great achiever and a respected family man.

5. TB Joshua of SCOAN

Pastor T.B. Joshua, the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) who was confirmed dead on June 6, 2021, via a sorrow-filled statement on the verified and official Facebook page of his church.

The church stated that the televangelist died suddenly on Saturday night in Lagos after concluding a programme.

Joshua was to mark his 58th birthday anniversary on Saturday, June 12, but death came knocking in the early hours of Sunday, plunging his lovers and followers across the world into mourning.

6. Dare Adeboye of RCCG

Dare Adeboye, the son of the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, gave up the ghost on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, in Eket, Akwa Ibom state.

Moulded in the meek image of his father, the 42-year-old's death came as a shock as he had ministered the previous day and later retired to his bed, only not to wake up.

The body of Dare, who was the third child of the RCCG GO, was buried on Tuesday, May 11, amid tears and a tragic flow of emotions.

Azzaman’s Facebook post about his death trends

In a related story on Legit.ng, Nigerians have revisited a Facebook post that the late Pastor Azzaman made on January 29, just 115 days before his death.

The Kaduna-based pastor died in a road accident on Saturday, May 24, but had made a post earlier about a message he had received from a pastor regarding a coming accident.

Some people wondered if he had taken the unnamed pastor's warning for granted, or if it was destined to happen.

Source: Legit.ng