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...
Three suspected cultists have been arrested by the police after they reportedly killed an official of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), Bolaji Monsuru.
Security operatives have arrested three suspected cult members for allegedly killing an official of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), Bolaji Monsuru, at the Surulere area.
However, the suspects, Muyideen Bello aka 17 (39), Wasiu Adio aka Trouble (35) and Nurudeen Odofin (39), denied the allegation, according to a report by NewTelegraph.
Explaining details of the incident, the state Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, yesterday explained that Monsuru was killed on February 21, about 9:30p.m., at Umunede Bar, Mallam Isah Close, Aguda, Surulere.
Monsuru was alleged to have been killed by five suspected cultists while he was at the bar, watching a football match between Manchester United and Sevilla.
Edgal, who paraded the suspects at the police headquarters, Ikeja, said that when he visited the Aguda, Surulere office of the LNSC to commiserate with them, he had promised that he would do everything possible within the ambit of the law to fish out the killers.
He said:-
“You will recall that I said the command would get to the root of the matter.I’m glad to inform you that three suspected masterminds of the plot had been arrested and are assisting the police in their investigation.“Investigation revealed that the deceased, who was an active member of the lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, had been spying on the activities of the cult group before he was killed.“Monsuru had gone to watch a football match after work, when he was attacked and killed by the cultists.The suspects have also confessed to several killings at Surulere. One axe, a knife and bloodstained clothes recovered from them have been sent to the lab for forensic analysis.” Adio, one of the suspected killers, denied knowing anything about the crime.
He said: –
“I was in my apartment when policemen came to arrest me. They arrested me in the presence of my wife and children. The late Bolaji and I were friends. We grew up in the same neighbourhood. I have no hands in his death.”Buttressing Adio’s explanation, Bello said that he was shocked when police came to arrest him for killing Monsuru. He added: “I was returning from somewhere, when I heard a gunshot. I ran for safety.After the dust settled, I came out from where I was hiding. On my way home, I saw the deceased in a pool of blood. I tried to rescue him; with the assistance of some people, we took him to the hospital.While at the hospital, I called his brother to inform him about the incident. When he came to the hospital, we went to Aguda Police Station to make official statement. “When the deceased was alive, we were not close because we always had issue about money.Whenever somebody gave us money in the street before he joined the LNSC, he wouldn’t give us. That was why we all left him. It was after I had left the police station that police came to arrest me.”
Odofin said that the deceased was his secretary when he was the chairman of motorcycle riders at Aguda Coker. They were both friends and had no grudges against each other, said Odofin.
He said:-
“He was working at the motorcycle riders’ park as our secretary before he joined the Neighbourhood Watch. After he joined, he was still acting as the secretary.Unfortunately, Bolaji and I had been on Wanted List of the cultists in the community. They have been trying to kill us.The deceased was the one who always reported cultists’ activities to the police in the community, especially since he joined the Neighbourhood Watch. The cultists had been on our trail for long.I don’t know why he went to watch football at the bar. I’m not a cult member. I’m a practicing Muslim.”
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