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 driver of a lorry that contained the bodies of 39 dead migrants has been charged. Maurice Robinson, 25, has been charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people over the Essex lorry trailer deaths, Police said. He is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Monday. He is also facing charges of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering. Robinson, who is known as Mo and is from Northern Ireland, was arrested shortly after the bodies of eight women and 31 men were found in the refrigerated trailer in an industrial park in Grays in the early hours of Wednesday. Mo Robinson was arrested after 39 dead bodies were found in the truck he was driving (Picture: Rex Features) The charges came after a man wanted by Essex Police as part of the investigation was arrested at Dublin port on Saturday. Three other people arrested over the deaths, including a 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland who was detained at Stansted Airport on Friday on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and manslaughter, remain in custody. In Belgium, police are hunting the driver who delivered the trailer to Zeebrugge, the port it left before arriving in the UK. Essex Police initially believed the victims were Chinese nationals, however it is now understood that many of them may have been Vietnamese. It comes after the Vietnamese ambassador to the UK met with detectives as they work to identify the bodies. Detective Chief Inspector Martin Pasmore told reporters on Saturday the nationality of the victims is not yet known, but the focus is now on the Vietnamese community although ‘there may be other nationalities involved’
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