By Daniel Edu
Tragedy struck the Okanla community in Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State as armed individuals attacked the palace of the Olokanla of Okanla, resulting in the death of an admission seeker, Ibrahim Qudus, and the burning of the palace.
According to Jimoh Qadri, the uncle of the deceased, the attackers, including one identified as Naim who did not cover his face, initially targeted Qadri’s personal house but did not find him there. They then proceeded to the late Oba Jimoh Adigun’s house, which was used as a palace before his demise.
Qadri, unable to provide a motive for the attack, recounted, “I was not at home, but my wife called me 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 vandalized the building and proceeded to my family house, where 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 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,” he added.
Although the motive behind the attack remains unclear, it is speculated that it may be related to disputes over land in the area. The family has called on law enforcement agencies to apprehend the perpetrators of this crime.
The Osun Police Command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the incident and stated that the Commissioner of Police, Kehinde Longe, had visited the scene of the crime. She also mentioned that additional police personnel had been deployed to the area to maintain peace and order.
