Ekiti high chief murdered, set ablaze by Tiv man, others

A High Chief in Ilotin area of Ikole Ekiti, Chief Sola Fatunla, who is the Onibedo of Ilotin, Ikole Ekiti has been killed and his corpse set ablaze by some assailants led by a Tiv man, identified as Sunday.

The sad incident has already thrown the community into mourning over the murder of this 35 year-old chief who his people described as easy going and kind gentleman.

Already, the police has confirmed the incident.

Sunday, who is said to be into charcoal business had accused Chief Fatunla of snatching his wife, Miss Tadeni.

Both Sunday and Tadeni were married with two kids before the marriage collapsed.

However, after Sunday found out that Miss Tadeni and Chief Fatunla were merely family friends, he apologised to him, only for Sunday to plead with Fatunla to assist him reclaim his consignment of charcoal in Ikole Ekiti.

While accompany him to where his charcoal was seized, 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.

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 questioning them 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.

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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 has been recovered and deposited in the mortuary while Sunday and his men are being detained by the police in Ekiti state and are to be moved to the police headquarters in Ado Ekiti.

Police Public Relations Officer in Ekiti state Command, Sunday Abutu, who confirmed the incident, said “there was a murder case, one of the chiefs in Ikole Ekiti was murdered in 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.