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...
'Kindhearted' man killed by Boko Haram members in Borno because he was helping vigilantes fish out terrorists
The story was shared in Bits of Borno, a photography project created to document everyday life in parts of Borno State ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency. "He had been working as a civil servant for the state for many years. We lived a quiet life with our children for years in this neighborhood. And when the Boko Haram crisis had started, he became very involved in the community. People came to him for loans, for food. Being generous was in his nature. And eventually when the boys and men in the neighborhood had decided to join the youth vigilante group that was forming, he had wished that he had a son who was old enough to join and fight for the state. He had also wished that he was younger too. So he dedicated his time and resources to helping with the cause. He gave the men fuel for their cars, helped with moral support. He occasionally joined them during patrols.
But because of the crisis there had been an influx of new people in our neighborhood fleeing other areas and we couldn’t tell who was who. His generous heart has created enemies for him. We didn’t know that some of the person he had been helping were members of Bokoharam. The man he had given some money to the night before had been the one to kill him. It was on a Tuesday when I heard a gunshot. He had been in his living room with a friend when two men came in and shot him. They did not want him helping vigilantes fish out terrorists
Comments
Post a Comment