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...

Narrating his ordeal to The Sun, the father of the deceased said his son had joined his uncle’s wife to attend a vigil mass at St Paul’s Catholic Church, Umuru, as it is the tradition and generally observed by many Catholics before Christmas at dawn. At about 1am on December 25, two young men ran to his house to inform him that his son was in trouble. The boys told him that while his son was returning in the company of others, they heard a voice that sounded like that of one Uchenna Ezeudo, who he knew. So Daniel switched on the torch of his cell phone to find out whether it was his friend.
The distraught father said he was told that one Osaraa popularly known as Nokia, who was in the company of his own brother, rather took offence and claimed that the light was pointed at him and allegedly knocked off the phone from the hand of the victim.
He said his son began to look for his phone knocked down by the suspect, who allegedly pulled out a knife and gave the victim multiple cuts. Having seen that his son was badly wounded, Ewuzie said the suspect and his brother took to their heels and ran into a church but were later apprehended by some people around there.
The deceased was immediately rushed to a hospital where he later died in the morning from complications from the multiple stab wounds. His corpse was deposited at a mortuary at Awka-Etiti. The 65-year-old tailor later went to the church where the suspects ran to for safety before they were caught by the youths and saw the parish priest, Rev Fr Bartholomew Nnakwe and one Livinus Nnemelu who expressed shock at the incident.
“When I went to Nokia after he was apprehended and asked him why he stabbed my son, he said my son knocked off his cap from his head. That was his only reason for stabbing my only son to death,” the distraught father said.
He told journalists that the duo were later handed over to the police in Nnobi who he said demanded his assistance to transport the suspects to police headquarters, Awka.
Ewuzie called on the Commissioner of Police, the Inspector General of Police and the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano to come to his rescue and never allow the matter to be swept under the carpet.
“I’m a poor tailor. Killers of my son must face justice. Let them not go scot-free. I bought my son a grinding machine for him to earn a livelihood with his wife. He was peace loving and never looked for anybody’s trouble. Look at the way they ended his life, my only son and only child,” he said
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