‘Frustrating, shocking and sudden’: family desperate for details after mother killed in crash Nigerian newcomer waiting at Abinojii Mikanah bus stop when struck By: Scott Billeck Posted: 6:08 PM CDT Wednesday, Sep. 24, 2025

A week after Omotayo Samuel-Pepple was killed in a crash on Abinojii Mikanah, her family says they are still in the dark about how it happened.

Samuel-Pepple, a mother of three, was struck on Sept. 16 while waiting at a bus stop when an eastbound vehicle veered off the road near St. Mary’s Road. The car hit her before crashing into a guardrail and rolling onto its roof.

Her sister, Mary Oloyede, said Wednesday the family has been given few details about what caused the collision.

“It’s been frustrating, shocking and sudden,” said Oloyede, who lives in Toronto and travelled to Winnipeg last week. “There are a lot of questions we have. As a family, we really want to know what happened. Was it the case of impaired driving? Was it a first offender? We really want to know the details. And we have none.”

Oloyede said her sister worked at one of the YMCA locations in the city and was on her way home when she was killed.

“Our Y community is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragedy. We’re doing everything we can to support Tayo’s family during such an incredibly difficult time,” said Cordella Friesen, president & chief executive officer of YMCA-YWCA Winnipeg. “Tayo had just started her career with the Y as part of our child-care team but had already made a strong connection with the children and our staff. It’s a very sad time for everyone who knew her.”

Samuel-Pepple arrived in Winnipeg in January as an international student and was studying human resource management at the University of Manitoba.

“She was just peaceful, easy going,” Oloyede said of her older sister, whom she called her “little mother.”

“Everyone who had an encounter with her would tell you she was a good person. She wasn’t the kind of person to make trouble. She was just a lovely person at heart. I am privileged to have her as a sister… the closest person to me.”

Samuel-Pepple leaves behind her husband and three children, a 21-year-old daughter, and two sons aged 17 and 14, all of whom live in Nigeria.

“We really want to know the details. And we have none.”

“The kids are reaching out to me to see what actually happened,” Oloyede said. “I’m unable to answer the questions.”

The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. near Winnipeg Transit Stop 50603, eastbound on Abinojii Mikanah at Glen Meadow, just before St. Mary’s Road.

Samuel-Pepple was rushed to hospital. Oloyede said a hospital report the family received suggested she was conscious after the crash but later lost consciousness. She died two days later from her injuries.

Police said the driver was not injured and stayed at the scene. No charges have been laid. Investigators continue to seek witnesses, including dash-cam footage.

“We understand this is a difficult time for a grieving family, and especially for a family that is not in the city,” a Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson said, reiterating that it is an active investigation.

Obehi Vera Keyede, president of the Nigerian Association of Manitoba, said her organization is waiting for more information from police before making a formal statement. She has been in touch with Samuel-Pepple’s family back home and has also reached out to Manitoba Public Insurance to explore what support may be available.

“She was just a lovely person.”

“She was new here… she reached out to us when she got here,” Keyede said. “She reached out to the community, asking how to help, how she could volunteer with us.”

She added that Winnipeg’s Nigerian community has rallied behind the family. Rhema Sanctuary, a local parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, is collecting donations to help cover funeral expenses, and had raised more than $2,300.

Pastor Yettie Adewumi described Samuel-Pepple as a quiet woman who led by example, devoting much of her time to volunteering and building connections within the church community.

“When you come in as an immigrant, some people find a suitable church for a family,” Adewumi said. “(Samuel-Pepple) was one of the most admirable people. She was very notable. She spoke loud with her actions. It’s a sad story. We were believing for a miracle when she was in the hospital. We will really miss her.”

Adewumi added the church is working with immigration officials to help expedite visas for Samuel-Pepple’s family so they can attend a memorial service, which is still being planned.

Samuel-Pepple was in the process of trying to reunite her husband and children with her in Canada, Adewumi said.

Coun. Janice Lukes, who chairs the city’s public works committee and sits on the Transit Advisory Board, called the incident tragic and said the city will review the crash to see if safety improvements are needed.

She noted she has not received complaints about the stop, which consists only of a bench and sits close to traffic on the 80 kilometres per hour roadway.

“It makes me nervous when people stand right by the edge on a busy road,” she said.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca