Suspected armed Fulani herdsmen kill daughter of Afenifere leader, Fasoranti

 

BY OUR EDITOR

Armed men said to be Fulani herdsmen Friday shot dead the daughter of Afenifere leader, 93-year-old Pa Reuben Fasoranti.

Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, 58, was killed in what appeared to be a kidnap operation that went bad, along the Benin-Ore Highway.

She was said to be traveling on the highway when she along with others ran into a barricade mounted by the suspected Fulani herdsmen.

The herdsmen, according to VANGUARD report, have been terrorising motorists along the Benin/ Ore Highway, in recent times.

It was learnt that the assailants wanted to kidnap her alongside other occupants of the vehicle, but things went awry and she was shot dead.

“We have confirmed the death of Mrs Funke Olakunrin (58), daughter of our Leader, Chief Fasoranti.

“Eyewitness accounts say she died of gunshot from Fulani herdsmen who shot her at Ore junction in Ondo state earlier today.

“She was coming from Akure when the armed Fulani herdsmen came from the bush to attack her and other vehicles. Her domestic staff in the car with her sustained gunshots too. This is one death too many and a clear we-can-take-it-no-more death,” a statement from Afenifere declared.

In a chat with VANGUARD, Afenifere’s spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, described the killing of Mrs. Olakunrin as an affront on the Yoruba.

“The action of the Fulani herdsmen showed they have declared war on Yoruba land. The Yoruba would not take this anymore and people should expect reactions over the killing of a daughter of the Afenifere leader. The Fulani herdsmen have shot their AK 47 into the tinny rope that tied Yoruba and Nigeria together. We will not accept this,” Odumakin said.

Police authorities in Ondo State confirmed the killing. However, spokesperson for the command, Femi Joseph said the command could not confirm whether it was the Fulani herdsmen or armed robbers that attacked the vehicles along the road in which the deceased was traveling.

According to Joseph, three vehicles were attacked at Kajola along Benin/Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

“There was a shootout between the suspected gunmen and the police who tried to rescue the victims along the road notorious for accident and kidnapping.

“The three vehicles attacked by the assailants included a Land Cruiser jeep with Registration number AAA 147 KM, one Toyota Camry car and one Young Shall Grow bus,” he said.

He added: “The person in the Land Cruiser jeep was killed while eight persons were abducted in the vehicles.”

The police image maker said seven of the kidnapped victims were rescued by the police. He gave the name of one of the kidnapped victims as Gerald Ibuoyikha. The seven people who were injured and rescued, he said, were with the Police.

Meanwhile, a visit to the residence of Pa Fasoranti showed that he was yet to be informed of the death of his daughter. The corpse of the deceased was reportedly deposited at the state specialist hospital in Akure. Some leaders of the Afenifere were seen milling around at the ljapo residence of their leader as at 8pm Friday.