An autopsy conducted by the city’s Office of the Medical Examiner ruled Thursday that Saleh died as a result of stab wounds to the neck and torso and found his death to be a homicide, a spokesman told CNN.
Authorities are still investigating Saleh’s death. He was last seen on surveillance video entering an elevator in his apartment building, and a man dressed in black, who police believe to be Saleh’s assailant, entered the elevator with him, according to the law enforcement official. .
The elevator in the Saleh building goes directly to the apartment units there, the source said.
Saleh was the founder and CEO of Gokada, a motorcycle transport app in Nigeria. His family described him as a “bright and innovative mind” in a statement confirming his death.
“The headlines speak of a crime that we cannot yet understand,” the statement said. “Fahim is more than what you are reading. He is much more. His brilliant and innovative mind took everyone on his world on a journey and made sure never to leave anyone behind.”
“There are no words or actions to bring us comfort, except the capture of the person who exhibited nothing less than evil about our loved one.”
Most recently, he founded venture capital firm Adventure Capital, which invested in startups for ridesharing in countries like Bangladesh and Colombia.
On Medium, where he regularly blogged, he called his Gokada foundation “one of the most important things he had ever done.” His limited knowledge of Nigeria’s transportation system at first rejected the Nigerians he tried to recruit for his startup.
In 2019, Gokada raised $ 5.3 million in startup funds and hired more than 800 drivers, but Gokada’s business had an unexpected drawback in February when the Lagos state banned commercial motorcycles in the city.
Saleh filmed a plea on behalf of his employees to lift the ban while the company was on its way to delivery and was working to launch a boat transportation service, he told CNN in February.
CNN’s Mark Morales and Scottie Andrew contributed to this report.
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