Easter Monday was a sad day for the Olorunfemi family of Akure, the Ondo State capital. While people were still celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the family was plunged into agony as one of their sons, Temitope, was lynched by an angry mob.
He was killed in their presence and if not for the intervention of security operatives, they would have suffered same fate from the irate mob which accused Temitope of internet fraud and ritual killing.
Temitope Olorunfemi, the second child of the family, had travelled down from Lagos to celebrate Easter in Akure with his parents and siblings before his gruesome killing.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that the 25-year-old had been making efforts to make ends meet to take good care of his family (son and wife) since he graduated from school about three years ago.
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As a ‘hustler’, Temitope was said to have taken up a driving job after he left school and began as a Bolt driver when he moved to Lagos, navigating the big city in an attempt to put food on the table for his family.
Though born into a well-to-do family, the young chap had refused to depend on his father’s wealth – a cocoa merchant. His father was said to have bought him a vehicle to start his driving job after he made up his mind to fend for himself.
Killed on Easter Monday
Sadly, Temitope’s dream was cut short on Easter Monday. Our reporter gathered that the deceased, who was driving on high speed, lost control of his car, veered off his lane and hit a couple and a cyclist.
The accident, which occurred in Ijoka Area of Akure, angered some youths and commercial motorcyclists who alleged that Temitope was an internet fraudster otherwise known as “Yahoo boy”. The mob stoned him to death and set the Toyota Camry car bought for him by his father ablaze.
Internet fraud suspicion
Eyewitnesses’ accounts alleged that fetish items such as a small casket, soaps and ladies’ dresses were found inside the car.
One of the witnesses, Ayodele Ologunagba, said, “He was driving very fast, and in a twinkle of an eye, he hit the couple and an Okada man. The Okada man died on the spot while the woman was rushed to the hospital.
“This angered some people who descended on him and started beating him up. They checked the vehicle and felt he could be a Yahoo guy involved in ritual killing. They saw a small casket, soaps, ladies’ wears, pants and kids’ clothes,” he added.
Agony of a mother
Speaking to Daily Trust on Sunday, mother of the deceased, Mrs Mojisola Olorunfemi, said his son was killed “unjustly” by the angry mob.
The bereaved mother also lamented that she watched helplessly as her son was lynched to death.
She said, “I am the mother of the young man killed at Ijoka. My son attended Marshall Navy. When he finished from there, there was no job, so he said he will go to Lagos to ensure he makes ends meet. After a while, he came home and said that things were very hard in Lagos, and that he wanted to do Bolt driving. So, his father got him a car to run the business three years ago.
“His wife has been with me for sometime now. She just joined him in September last year and they came back early this year for my mother’s funeral. During the Easter period, he came home because his wife and baby have been with me since the burial of my mother. So, he said he wanted to go back to Lagos with his family.
“He told his wife to go to her mother’s place, and afterwards he said he was leaving for Lagos with his family. The wife said she will not carry much load, so she dropped some of her clothes and the baby’s cloth in the vehicle and left the bag at home.
“On Sunday evening, I called and he said he wanted to spend the night at his friend’s house called Sugar. The following morning, which was on Monday, I called his number but it was not going. Later in the day, his father called me and was shouting, ‘Tope, Tope’, I said what happened to Tope? He said I should come over at once. I ran quickly to him.
“By the time I got to the venue, I saw my son on the floor in a pool of his blood. When I called his name, he looked up. His immediate elder brother was also there. I started shouting that people should assist me to carry him up, but the crowd stopped us from helping him.
“Immediately, a very tall man came and poured petrol on him, and lit up the fire. I quickly took the fire from him and threw it away.
“The man, called Luku, still went ahead to pick up a very huge stick and used it on him. My eldest son, who knows him, called his name and said he is my younger brother. Another man carried a huge stone and smashed it on my son’s face.
“They said they saw a snake, casket, clothes, and other things in his vehicle. Meanwhile, it was a piggy bank for his child while the clothes belonged to his wife and child. That was how they brutally took my son from me,” the woman lamented.
She, however, pleaded with the state government to ensure that those behind the mob action were brought to book.
“The state government should help bring those behind my son’s death to book, those who kill by the sword would surely die by the sword. Those who killed Temitope should be made to face justice.”
While appealing to the security agents to fish out her husband’s murderers, the wife of the deceased, Mosunmola Bosede Olorunfemi, also said her husband was not a ‘Yahoo boy’ and begged the police to investigate the death of her husband.
“I want to appeal to the state government and the police to investigate my husband’s death. The government should do something about the killing of the youth in the country. My husband is a Bolt driver, not a Yahoo boy,” she added.
Easy-going, trustworthy
Describing the deceased as easy-going, a relative of the family, Mr Mustapha, said Temitope was a hard-working young man.
“I’m a brother to his mother. I was the one who encouraged him to attend the Naval Marshall School in Ogun because he’s an independent minded person. He’s easy-going and doesn’t look for trouble.
“It is unfortunate that my brother was killed in his prime. He’s not a thug. He always looks out for others and that is why we all love him in the family. I’m in pain and I hope the police will arrest those who killed my brother,” he said.
A friend of the deceased, Joseph, also described his death as painful. “Tope’s death is painful. I can’t believe he’s gone. He’s a trustworthy friend. Always wanted the best and never tired of ensuring that everyone around him smiles. He’s hard-working. He doesn’t want to inconvenience anyone with his problem. And that is why he strives to work hard to make ends meet,” he added.
Jungle justice: Police arrest two
Meanwhile, the police in Ondo State have described the killing of Temitope as an act of jungle justice, adding that it has arrested two persons in connection with the death of the 25-year-old driver.
Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Ondo State Command, who disclosed this in an interview with Daily Trust on Sunday, said one of the suspects is an artisan who allegedly took part in the killing of Temitope.
“It is pure jungle justice and the police would never encourage such criminal act. We have always said that when someone is accused of a crime, you report it to the police or security agents. So, I can confirm that we have arrested two suspects in connection with the brutal killing and we are still searching for others,” the police spokesperson said.
Ondo gov’t condemns killing
Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who spoke through his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, described the killing of Temitope as an act of ‘jungle justice’ and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to book.
“The attention of the Ondo State government has been drawn to a disturbing recourse to jungle justice by the public. The government condemns in strong terms the incident and all those found culpable will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” Mr Aiyedatiwa, who is currently acting on behalf of the governor, said in a statement issued by the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju.
While expressing sadness over the incident, Mr Akeredolu said citizens should trust security agencies in addressing crime, stressing that the state would not condone any form of mob action and hooliganism.
He specifically noted that his government does not “condone criminality in whatever guise” and also does not subscribe to people taking laws into their own hands.
“This is especially true when citizens are attacked and killed, based on one flimsy excuse or the other, especially on allegations of internet scam, laced with ritual killing, commonly referred to as Yahoo Plus.
“It was reported that the quick intervention of law enforcement agents saved the parents of the deceased from suffering the same fate as their son. Sadly, they watched in horror and total helplessness as their son was pummelled to death,” the Ondo governor said.
He added, “The government is saddened by this development and commiserates with all the families that lost their loved ones as a result of this incident while praying for quick recovery for those that sustained injuries.”
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