A grieving Nigerian father, Ibrahim Balogun, has spoken publicly for the first time about the death of his 21-year-old son, Qayyum Balogun, who was fatally stabbed in Dublin, Ireland, describing the tragedy as a pain he never imagined he would endure.
Qayyum died after he was stabbed three times on Clarendon Street, near Dublin’s Grafton Street district, in the early hours of 1 June 2026. According to report, the university student had attended a music event at Bewley’s Café and reportedly tried to intervene when a woman was being harassed before the fatal attack.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Ibrahim said he was devastated by the news, especially as his son had originally planned to accompany him to Nigeria but stayed behind because of university examinations.
“It is hard to believe my son would die in Ireland after what I left in Nigeria,” he said.
Qayyum, a third-year Computer Science student at Maynooth University, had travelled to Dublin with his 20-year-old sister, Aliyah, after completing their summer examinations. The siblings attended a concert by Nigerian singer-songwriter Famous Pluto before booking a hotel for the night.
According to the family, Qayyum decided to remain out after the event while his sister returned to the hotel. He later told her over the phone that his battery was running low and that he would join her shortly. When he failed to arrive, she repeatedly tried to contact him before receiving a call informing her that he had been taken to St James’s Hospital in an ambulance.
His parents said doctors informed them that despite efforts to save him, he had died from multiple stab wounds.
The family believes Qayyum was initially attacked on Grafton Street before being chased through Johnson’s Court and fatally stabbed on Clarendon Street shortly before 3 a.m.
Recalling the heartbreaking phone call from his daughter while he was in Nigeria, Ibrahim said he immediately sensed something was wrong.
“I was confused. I was devastated,” he said, adding that he struggled to accept he would never see his eldest son again.
Qayyum’s mother, Teslimot Balogun, described her son as gentle, quiet and family-oriented, saying he preferred spending time at home playing video games rather than going out.
“He was sweet, very sweet. He didn’t like trouble. No one deserves to die like this. The pain and the hurt are very, very deep,” she said.
Qayyum was buried at Newtown Cross Lawn Cemetery in Drogheda on 16 June, with family members and friends paying their final respects.
The principal suspect, described as an amateur rapper in his early twenties, allegedly fled Ireland shortly after the attack. Police are investigating reports that he later posted messages on social media appearing to mock the victim’s death.
Addressing the suspect directly, Ibrahim appealed for him to return and explain what happened.
“Your picture has come to light showing you holding a knife. You should come home and explain it,” he said.
The grieving father said his family wants justice and answers, adding that they are determined to know what led to the fatal attack on their son, whom they remember as a kind, hardworking young man with dreams of becoming a computer engineer.
