Chief Fatunla, who is the Onibedo of Ilotin, Ikole Ekiti, Ekiti State, was said to have been killed by some assailants led by a
man, identified as Sunday.
Sunday, who is said to be into charcoal business, had accused the deceased of snatching his wife, Tadeni.
The couple had two kids before the marriage collapsed.
When Sunday later found out that his wife and Chief Fatunla were mere family friends, he apologised to him.
But it was gathered that after both had settled, Sunday pleaded with the deceased to assist him to help retrieve his charcoal from those he claimed seized it.
While on their way, the Tiv man allegedly connived with others to abduct Chief Fatunla and Tadeni, somewhere around Iyemero Ekiti, in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
He was tied to a tree, strangled to death and his corpse set on fire.
However, Miss Tadeni, escaped from the abductors while Sunday and his other accomplices, who had fled, were caught by vigilante men in Patigi area of Kwara State while trying to escape.
When the vigilante men stopped Sunday and his gangs and were questioned as to their mission in the area, especially during the lockdown, Chief Fatunla’s phone that Sunday kept in his pocket rang and he refused to answer the call. One of the vigilante men collected the phone and answered the call only to be told that the owner of the phone was abducted.
The vigilantes then handed Sunday and others to the police in Kwara State.
As at press time, Chief Fatunla’s charred corpse has been recovered and deposited in the mortuary while Sunday and his friends are being detained by the police in Ekiti State and are to be moved to the police headquarters in Ado Ekiti.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Command, Sunday Abutu, confirmed the incident.
According to him, “one of the chiefs in Ikole Ekiti was murdered on the farm. We are still trying to investigate the matter. We are still on the investigation, I will get back to you on the details”.
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