The family of popular Lagos pastor Ituah Ighodalo of the Trinity House Church has been thrown into mourning following the death of his wife Ibidun Ighodalo. 

Ighodalo, Pulse learnt, died in the early hours of Sunday, June 14 in a hotel in Port Harcourt from a suspected heart attack. 

A source close to the family told Pulse that Ighdalo traveled to Port Harcourt on Friday, June 12 for work. 

She was 39 and was to mark her 40th birthday on Sunday, July 19. 

“The Ighodalo and Olaleye Ajayi families are deeply saddened to announce the sudden loss of our beloved wife and daughter Mrs. Ibidunni Ituah-Ighodalo who passed away in the early hours of today,” a statement from the Ighodalo family read.

“As you will understand, this is a difficult time for our families and we will appreciate some privacy during this time. All information of burial proceedings will be provided in due course.”

Miss Lux

First known as Ibidun Ajayi, she first hit fame when she won the Miss Lux beauty pageant competition as an 18-year-old undergraduate of the University of Lagos. 

She married Pastor Ighodalo in 2007. The union was a controversial one as Pastor Ighodalo, then of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Christ Church Parish, Gbagada, had divorced his first wife Lucy-Ann Suinner. The church was said not to be happy with the situation and sacked him.

He went on to start his church called Trinity House. 

Ighodalo was also a successful event planner whose outfit Elizabeth R, had big brands in her clientele. 

Just recently, she worked with one of the top banks in Nigeria to provide isolation centres in Bayelsa and Rivers State for COVID-19 patients. 

She was also the founder of Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation, a non-profit organisation created to raise awareness on issues about infertility. The foundation also provides grants for couples that require fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intrauterine insemination.

It was her struggle with infertility that led her to start the foundation. In a 2018 interview, Ighodalo revealed that she underwent IVF 11 times due to pressure from in-laws and friends before deciding to adopt her daughter Keke. 

News of her death drew many reactions on Twitter as she became the number one trending topic on Twitter Nigeria.