Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
The Oyo State Police Command said a kidnap victim, Alhaji Adamu Auta, was slaughtered by his abductors even after the victim family agreed to pay a ransom of N2.5m.
A Kwara State indigene, Mohammed Bello, was arrested by the police while trying to collect the ransom demanded for the release of the deceased. The state Commissioner of Police, Leye Oyebade, said Auta left his home in Igangan town for Abule-Tapa in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State on May 15 but was kidnapped by Bello and members of his gang. He said the suspects called their victim’s family with a mobile telephone and demanded ransom payment of N2.5m before he could be released.
“After his kidnap, the police swung into action after the case was reported. The family played along and said the amount would be paid. An agreement was also reached on how and where to drop the ransom.
“After realising that they had walked into an ambush, they engaged the police in a shootout. In the process, one of the kidnappers, Bello, was caught while others escaped. Unfortunately, the victim was discovered to have been brutally murdered by the dare-devil kidnappers,” said Oyebade.
Bello said he was arrested around 1am while coming out of a bush.
He said, “My father is a herdsman and the cattle is being tended to by my brother, Usmanu. He called me to come and see him in the bush but I lost my way. Around 1am, I came out of the bush and ran into a shootout between the police and some people and was arrested.”
Oyebade however said that during interrogation, Bello confessed to being a member of the kidnapping gang and that he had been helping the police in their effort to arrest the rest of the kidnappers.”
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