Nigerian Father Laments Son Qayyum Balogun's Tragic Dublin Stabbing

Ibrahim Balogun, a Nigerian father consumed by grief, has shared the harrowing details surrounding the murder of his 21-year-old son, Qayyum, in Dublin, Ireland. Qayyum Balogun tragically lost his life on June 1, 2026, succumbing to three stab wounds on Clarendon Street, an area close to Dublin's Grafton Street. Reports indicate that before the fatal attack, he had been at a concert at Bewley’s and was reportedly trying to assist a woman who was experiencing harassment.

On the very night Qayyum was killed, he was originally slated to visit Nigeria alongside his father, but academic examinations kept him in Ireland. Speaking to the Irish Independent on Sunday, June 28, the devastated father expressed his disbelief, stating, “It’s hard to believe my son would d!e in Ireland, after what I left in Nigeria.”

The primary suspect, an aspiring rapper in his early twenties, was captured on CCTV footage fleeing the scene of the attack in Dublin city centre before leaving the country later that same day. Disturbingly, he also posted offensive remarks online afterwards, boasting, “Wats a body to me,” and adding, “Rest in piss.”

Qayyum was laid to rest on June 16 at Newtown Cross Lawn Cemetery in Drogheda, Louth, where dozens of mourners gathered to pay their final respects. He and his 20-year-old sister, Aliyah, had planned an exciting trip to Dublin to attend a performance by Nigerian singer-songwriter Famous Pluto during the June bank holiday weekend. The siblings, who spent most of their lives in Dundalk, had just concluded their summer exams at Maynooth University the preceding Friday. Qayyum was a third-year computer science student, while Aliyah is pursuing a degree in psychology.

The Sunday night concert at Bewley’s cafe on Grafton Street was scheduled to end after 2 AM, with hopes of attending an after-show party, prompting the siblings to book a hotel in the capital. Qayyum resided in the Ecco Road area of Dundalk with his father Ibrahim, his stepmother Loveth Patrick, his brother Ganiyu (15), and sisters Alimat (17) and Tolu (12). His biological mother, Teslimot Balogun, lives nearby in Dundalk with Aliyah.

Recounting the tragic events from his small front room on Thursday afternoon, Ibrahim, who works as a quality controller at a food factory in Co Monaghan, shared that he was visiting family in Nigeria when he received a call from Aliyah around 4 AM on Monday (local time in Nigeria is identical to Ireland). “I had my phone beside my bed. When I saw the time I was pretty sure something was wrong,” Ibrahim recalled. He continued, “She was like: ‘Dad, Dad, Dad.’ I asked: ‘What happened? What happened?’ She told me: ‘Qayyum got st@bbed.’ I was confused. I was devastated. I had to call [Loveth]. ‘Is Qayyum home?’ I asked. She said he was home, but then she ran to his room, woke his brother, but Qayyum was not home.”

Loveth explained that she had departed for her job as a supervisor in a local hotel at 8 AM on Sunday. “Qayyum was still sleeping when I was leaving for work because he was working the night before. When I got home at 6 PM, I believed he had gone to work,” Loveth stated. Qayyum held a weekend position at Burger King at the Castlebellingham service station on the northbound M1, an approximately 11-minute drive from his home, usually finishing around 11:30 PM and returning home shortly after midnight. However, he had taken that Sunday off to travel to Dublin with Aliyah and friends.

“They went to the concert,” Ibrahim confirmed. Around 400 people attended the gig, which commenced at 10:30 PM and concluded around 2:30 AM. Ibrahim further elaborated, “After the show, he told his sister he wanted to stay out and have more fun, so she went to the hotel.” He added, “They were still on phone, chatting and he told Aliyah: ‘My phone is running down. I am coming soon.’” When Qayyum failed to return, Aliyah tried calling him but couldn't get through.

Around 3:30 AM, one of Qayyum’s friends contacted Aliyah to inform her that he was in an ambulance with her brother, en route to St James’s Hospital. His family understands that Qayyum was initially attacked on Grafton Street before being pursued along Johnson’s Court, adjacent to the venue, and ultimately fatally stabbed on Clarendon Street just before 3 AM. Aliyah frantically called both parents as she rushed to the hospital.

Teslimot recounted, “She was ringing me, panicking, at 4 AM.” She continued, “I called the hospital. They said: ‘He has gone to theatre, but come down, he needs to see you.’ We had to get a taxi to St James’s. When we got there the doctor said they tried their best to save him. He had multiple stab wounds. He was already d3ad. His sister was just beside him saying: ‘Qayyum get up, Qayyum get up.’ When we got home, she couldn’t cry. It was only when some of our friends came she started bursting crying. They were so close, you know, because of the [small] age difference. They were best friends. It is a very terrible thing.”

Qayyum, the eldest child, was born in Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, in September 2004. His parents had emigrated from Nigeria in the early 2000s and were granted refugee status. They resided in the Drogheda area before relocating to Dundalk when Qayyum was a young boy. He attended primary school there, followed by Ó Fiaich College secondary school and the Ó Fiaich Institute of Further Education, before enrolling in university. He had visited Nigeria several times, enjoying his last trip in 2023. Ibrahim mentioned, “He was going to come with me on this visit, but he had exams. He was looking forward to being a computer engineer. He wanted to make websites.”

When questioned about reports suggesting his son was a music promoter, Ibrahim clarified, “No. He didn’t even have a speaker, not a microphone. He was a full-time student. He loved American rap, African music, but just to listened to.” His mother described him as “a gentle soul.” Teslimot added, “Qayyum was sweet, very sweet. He didn’t go out at night. He loved his brother and sisters. He went to school, home, eat, go to his room. I was always saying, ‘Go out. Go out, have fun.’ He said: ‘I am fine. I am fine.’ He’d just play with his PlayStation in the house.”

Family friend Tosin Adeyemi from Drogheda recalled Qayyum’s childhood visits to her home. “I always call him ‘Qayyum-baby’ because every time he comes to my house he sucks his thumb. He was so shy and smiling,” Tosin shared. “Hearing he was attacked like this, it is so sad. He was just going out after exams to have fun. This should not be happening.”

Asked about their current state, his parents admitted they are “just coping.” Ibrahim remarked, “I am still in shock. It is very difficult to believe this is happening. I find it difficult to believe I will not see him any more. There is a lifetime of pain.” His mother reflected on the suffering Qayyum must have endured during his final moments. “He d!ed a miserable d8ath. He was quiet, he didn’t like trouble – always going his own way. No one deserves to d!e like this. The pain and the hurt is very, very deep,” she asserted.

Addressing the suspect directly, Mr. Balogun appealed, “Your picture has come to light, showing you holding a knife — you should come home and explain it.” Mr. Balogun articulated how the image of the assailant wielding a weapon intensified his anguish. “I felt great pain, like for someone running on the street with a knife, with that audacity. It is not a toy, you shouldn’t be doing that,” he expressed. “I’m extremely angry with that picture, to be honest with you. I’m really, really extremely angry, above everything else. We want to know the truth — we want to know what prompted the attack.”