Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Police in Ekiti State have confirmed the killing of 35-year-old Chief of Ilotin community in Ikole-Ekiti, the headquarters of Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, by assailants.
The community Chief, Sola Fatunla, who was the Onibode of Ilotin, was lured and killed by a group of assailants led by a Tiv man, identified as Sunday.
A source said that Sunday, who engages in charcoal business, accused Fatunla of snatching his wife, Mrs Tadeni before he later apologised to him having realised they were family friends.
“After Sunday had found out that Miss Tadeni and Chief Fatunla were merely family friends, he apologised to him only for Sunday to have pleaded with Fatunla to assist him in using his position as a Chief in Ikole Ekiti to plead with those that seized his charcoal.
“While accompanying him to where his charcoal was seized on Sunday, the Tiv man allegedly connived with others to abduct Chief Fatunla and Miss 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,” he said.
He added: “Mrs Tadeni later escaped before Sunday and his accomplices, who had fled, were caught by vigilance men in Patigi area of Kwara State while trying to escape.
“While interrogating them as to their mission in the area, especially during the lock down, Chief Fatunla’s phone that was stolen rang and the call was declined. So, one of the vigilante men collected the phone and answered the call and told that the owner of the phone was abducted.
“The vigilantes, then, handed Sunday and others to the police in Kwara State”.
The Command Public Relation Officer in the state, Abutu Sunday, who confirmed the incident on Wednesday, said investigation had begun, vowing that the perpetrators would be prosecuted and face the wrath of law.