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...
18 year old Kaleb Amponsah (left), has been found guilty of the stabbing to death, 27 year old Ade Afariogun (right) which took place on January 29th this year. On the day of the incident, Ade was in Plaistow Park with three female friends when they noticed Amponsah ride his bike past them on several occasions and staring aggressively at them.
As Ade was leaving the park, Amponsah confronted and started an argument with him. A scuffle ensued during which the two exchanged punches.
Ade's friend attempted to intervene by pulling Amponsah away but Amponsah produced a large knife from his waistband, and stabbed Ade in his stomach twice. So brutal was the attack, that Ade received a 12cm injury to his abdomen. He was rushed to Royal London Hospital, but despite the best efforts of medical staff, he died during the early hours of Monday 1 February.
Immediately after the incident, Amponsah fled from the scene, leaving Ade bleeding on the ground. In his haste, he left behind his bike and mobile phone. This proved vital in the investigation as detectives were able to retrieve his DNA from both. After leaving the park, Amponsah called a friend and went straight to his address a few streets away from the murder scene. There he stayed for less than 20 minutes before getting a taxi to a street near his home address. He returned to his home for a brief period, changing his clothes in the process. He then took a second taxi from a nearby location to a friend who lived locally, where he spent the remainder of the afternoon.
On February 5th, Amponsah was arrested at his home address. Searches at the property revealed the clothing worn by the killer, and a large knife concealed within his mattress in his bedroom. At the court hearing yesterday July 28th, Ade's step-dad, Kay Oluwa, said he had completed qualifications and was due to start a new job just days after he was stabbed to death by Kaleb Amponsah.
In a family witness statement, Mr Oluwa, wrote: "Ade was a great big brother to my two younger boys. He had committed crimes but he had done his time and was moving forward with his life. He has been snatched away from us and for what?" Mr Oluwa said Ade had been imprisoned for “horrible crimes” but that he had used his time in prison to study and focus on his career, after telling his parents he wanted to “change his life”. He added: “He was due to start work the Monday after he was killed. I can never explain to you what it is like as a family to receive a call like the one that we got on January 29 and I truly hope none of you ever have to experience it. My wife has been emotionally destroyed; she cannot process what has happened and we can’t talk to each other about it. The strain on our marriage as a result is huge. Neither of us are emotionally strong enough to cope and this trial has been devastating and placed a new cloud over us. My younger two sons are numb, upset and angry all in one. I have had to be strong for them but I am finding it hard. We may never know the true reason but I do know that Kaleb Amponsah has shown no remorse, shows no understanding of what he has done to our family and is a danger if he can kill someone over something so minor as a wrong look."he said
A UK detective who spoke on Amponsah's arrest said "Five months after the original charge, Amponsah admitted being responsible for the fatal stabbing but claimed he had acted in self-defence after the victim attacked him. Thankfully the jury saw through this unlikely scenario, recognising this for the needless and cold-blooded murder it was.
The park where this took place is well used by a wide range of borough residents and the local community should feel reassured that this type of attack is an extremely rare occurrence. Ade was in the park with friends when he was killed for reasons that we have been unable to ascertain.
He was well loved by his family and friends, who miss him very much." Amponsah will be sentenced at the Old Bailey in the week commencing August 15th.
Source: metpolice/ EveningStandard
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