How I escaped gunmen who killed my colleagues — Ekiti traditional ruler

The Alara of Ara – Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Fatoba has narrated how he escaped the rain of bullets fired on him by the gunmen who killed his two colleagues along Oke-Ako axis in the local government.

During the attack on Monday last week, the two royal fathers, the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsakin, and the Olumojo of Imojo-Ekiti, Oba Samuel Olatunde Olusola, were brutally murdered by the marauders; while the Alara of Ara, Oba Fatoba, escaped the murderous attack narrowly.

Speaking in his palace in Ara-Ekiti, Oba Fatoba said the two Obas put up a great fight with the assailants but added that they were overpowered with superior firearms.

The recuperating monarch said he was able to escape from the gunmen after several shots were fired at him with no effect, denying the insinuations that he disappeared from the scene.

Recalling how the incident occurred, the Alarm said, ”We have about 25 communities in Ikole and there was a security Committee which I am the chairman and one of the deceased monarchs was the Vice chairman (Elesun of Esun – Ekiti)

“There have been repeated attacks by herders on farmers in our areas because we have large forests here. So when the attack was becoming too frequent on our people we sought permission from the Police to intervene and the permit was granted.

“So, when we received another report of an attack by herders where one of our people was killed between Ayebode and Ayedun recently, we decided to move in. We had visited the community where incident happened.

“We were discussing the issue of late Onimojo, an associate Professor who was planning to move from Federal University of Technology (FUTA) to Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) on our way back along Irele-Ekiti when these herders appeared from nowhere.

“We never knew they were many, because about three of them pointed guns at us. We tried to struggle with them but they began to fire at us from different directions. Though the bullets did not enter but I realised that they were fully armed with sophisticated weapons, I then broke away from scene and surged forward to a checkpoint mounted by our local hunters.

“But seeing the high-grade firearms and sporadic gunshots, the local hunters couldn’t advance or challenge the hoodlums. I asked one of our local hunters to return fire but his Dane gun could not work. By the time I looked back, I saw my colleagues Obas in the pool of their own blood. It was a very sad experience, my colleagues sacrificed their lives and died for their people.

“I would admit that the bullets did not penetrate through my body but I did not disappear, as being speculated.“