- Damilare was gang-beaten to death because we made him our leader – Friend.
- I leave my child’s killers in the hands of God – Mother
There was pandemonium recently at Abule Oko in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State when a Fulani herdsman, simply identified as Bolaji, allegedly lured his brother in-law, Damilare Alasebi, into the hands of his fellow herdsmen to be killed over a leadership tussle.
The Point learnt that trouble started when the Yoruba youth in the town picked Damilare as their youth leader, a development which allegedly angered the Fulani herdsmen in the area, who, reportedly, did not want a rival leadership in the area except their own.
Speaking with our correspondent, an eye witnesses, who simply identified himself as Sikirulai, said that Bolaji approached Damilare at their drinking joint that he wanted to have a discussion with him, but unknown to him, Bolaji was trying to lure him to his death.
The 31-year-old man said he warned Damilare not to go and meet Bolaji because, as a leader of Yoruba boys in the town, he shouldn’t walk alone to avoid any impending danger. But he said Damilare rebuffed him, saying that Bolaji was his in-law and would not hurt him.
He explained further that immediately Damilare went to meet Bolaji, he saw some Fulani herdsmen coming towards him.
“They started raining blows on him in the presence of Bolaji, to the extent that blood started coming out of his mouth. But to my surprise, Damilare became mute and only me could not rush to rescue him among the Fulani boys,” he said.
The shoemaker said while he was shouting and looking around for any Yoruba boy to inform them that the herders had ganged up over Bolaji and were beating him, he saw one Fulani boy, Tunde Jos, who allegedly came over Damilare with a bamboo stick and hit him on the head.
“That was when he slumped and fell,” he said.
Sikirulai explained further that, while his own boys had come over to the scene, all the Fulani boys, including Bolaji, and the alleged killer fled for their lives as his boys came to carry Damilare to the hospital.
He explained that the Yoruba boys held Tunde Jos in captive until the head of the Fulani butchers in the town, identified as Okanka, came over to plead for his release and allowed him to escape.
“But unknown to us, the Yoruba boys, the herders that fled had gone to call some soldiers and the police to arrest us,” he claimed.
Sikirulai said when they saw the security officials, some of them ran away but when they heard that Damilare had died, they came face to face with the officials, who later left when they heard that it was the Fulani boys who killed one of them.
He said, “I approached Damilare that fateful day that I was very broke and he promised to give me N2,000. He then asked me and some other boys to go and drink, with the hope that after having the drink, we would both go to his own room and eat eba and egusi soup. I never thought Damilare’s death would come so soon.
“We were still drinking when Bolaji, a Fulani, who is the in-law of Damilare, beckoned on him to come, that he wanted to see him. But I objected to the call and tried to persuade him to stay with us. I told him that he was the Olori (our leader) of boys here at Abule Oko, he told me that I should not worry, so I accompanied him a little further to meet Bolaji. I decided to turn my back on them when they were discussing. The next thing I started to hear was the raining of punches by some Fulani boys in the area on him. They punched Dare on the face that his mouth and nose started to bleed. I was filled with rage where I stood, hoping that some boys would come to our rescue.”
“But as Damilare was about to pick up his palm sandal, as they were still punching him, one of the Fulani boys, Tunde Jos, came over him with a bamboo stick and hit him on the back of his head and immediately he fell. I ran to him and called for the help of the other boys that were drinking with us and rushed him to the hospital,” he added.
The mother of the deceased, Mrs Elizabeth Alasebi, who spoke to our correspondent in tears said God would avenge her son’s death on Bolaji, her daughter’s husband, and his cohorts, especially Tunde Jos, who allegedly killed him.
The 54-year-old woman, who described her son as a gentle boy, lamented that the death of her child was sudden, noting that she had warned her daughter not to marry Bolaji, her Fulani husband, whom she said was fond of beating her at the slightest provocation.
She said, “I have left the killers of my son in the hands of God for necessary punishment. I know they won’t escape the wrath of God for killing him because he is a gentle boy and the child who takes care of my needs and puts smiles on my face every time.
“I told my daughter not to get married to Bolaji but she refused my warning because she was in love. I don’t even know. My daughter has also complained to me about her husband, Bolaji, that he usually beats her, and had one day locked her inside the bathroom and beat her mercilessly. That stupid boy even called her father, threatening to kill her.”
The deceased’s younger brother, Akin Alasebi, said the Fulani boys had been causing trouble in Abule Oko, especially the killer of his brother, Tunde Jos, who is fond of fomenting trouble in the area simply because he is the son of the elder brother of the Seriki in the area.
Akin added that, recently, a Fulani boy used a stainless cup to chop off the nose of a Yoruba boy in the area over minor issues, noting that another Yoruba man was inflicted with machete cuts in his hand just because they were the ones heading the slab in the area.
A resident of the town, Mrs Temitope Adebola, said that the herders had used their cows to destroy their farm crops, adding that if they dared complain, they would bring out knives to attack them or threaten to kill them.
The Baale of Abule Oko, Chief Dotun Ogunsanya, said he would do everything possible, with the help of the government and the Onipapa of Papalanto, Oba Abdul Rasak Famuyiwa, to make sure that the killer of Damilare was arrested by the police and peace returned back to the town, noting that most of the Fulani herdsmen had gone into hiding since the incident happened.
Efforts to reach the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, on the incident when filing this report, proved abortive as he did not pick our correspondent’s telephone calls.
