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 remains of a 20-year-old Imo State footballer, Chidubem Ezeagu, has been found in a shallow grave in a bush. The body was discovered one week after he was declared missing by his family.
The tragedy, which happened at Umuelele Irete, in the Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, devastated residents and the deceased’s family members. The victim’s elder brother, Timothy, told PUNCH Metro that Chidubem left home around 8.30pm last week Sunday.
According to him, the family declared him missing on Tuesday when attempts to find him failed. He said, “Chidubem left the house last week Sunday and never returned. We called his telephone number all through Monday, but he did not pick it. On Tuesday, his telephone number became unreachable and that was when we sensed danger. We reported a case of missing person at the Ogbaku Police Station. We equally reported it to the youth leader of the village. A search was conducted throughout the village.”
Timothy said after days of intense search, the family got information that some non-indigenes buried a man, who was butchered by unknown persons, in a shallow grave in the community.
“It was in the cause of the search that one man told us that some Hausa buried a corpse in a shallow grave. He said a man had called the Hausa people to identify a corpse on the ground. When they couldn’t identify the body, they buried it in a shallow grave to avert breakout of an epidemic,” he added.
The brother said when the corpse was exhumed, it turned out to be Chidubem. Timothy, who called on the police to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing of his brother, lamented that the murder adversely affected his family.
The state Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, said he had directed the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department to take over the case. The CP, who said the killing appeared cult-related, said the command was committed to providing adequate security.
Ezike said, “I can confirm that the matter was reported to Ogbaku Police Station as a case of missing person until on Saturday when his remains were found buried in a shallow grave. The SCIID has been directed to take over investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death, which appear cult-related.”
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