Gunmen stormed the palace of Olokanla of Okanla in Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State on Sunday, killing an admission seeker, Ibrahim Qudus, before setting the building ablaze.
Jimoh Qadri, the deceased’s uncle, said the attackers were led by a man simply identified as Naim, who was the only one among the attackers who did not cover his face during the incident.
Qadri, who could not give a reason for the attack, said the perpetrators first stormed his personal house and met his absence before proceeding to his father’s house, the late Oba Jimoh Adigun, the Olokanla of Okanla, which he used as a palace before his death.
He said, “I was not at home, but my wife called me to say that gunmen numbering about 20 had stormed my house in Okanla area very early on Sunday. She told me they all covered their faces, but one of them, bearing Naim, did not cover his face, and my wife saw him. The attackers were after me, and they searched around the house.
“When they could not find me around, they vandalised the building and proceeded to my family house, which my late father, Olokanla of Okanla, used as his palace. It was there they saw Qudus, a son of my elder brother, who was living in Ibadan until he recently returned home to seek university admission after writing the UTME.
“He was killed, and they put his corpse in my car parked within the premises and set the vehicle ablaze. They also set the palace ablaze. The reason behind the attack is not known to me. But it may not be unconnected to the tussle over land in our area. The family is pleading with the security agencies to ensure the perpetrators of this crime are apprehended.”
When contacted, Osun Police Command spokesperson Yemisi Opalola stated that the Commissioner of Police, Kehinde Longe, had visited the crime scene and that more operatives had been deployed to the area.
“Someone was burned with a car near Okanla, which is located between Ifon and Ilobu.” We have sent reinforcements to the area to prevent further breakdowns in law and order. “The Commissioner of Police has arrived,” Opalola said.
