Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen, on Monday, killed two traditional rulers in Ekiti State.
The incident was said to have happened between Oke-Ako and Ipao-Ekiti in Ajoni Local Government Area of the state.
The duo – Onimojo of Imojo Ekiti in Oye Local Government Area and Elesun of Esun Ekiti in Ajoni, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, were attacked by the gunmen while retuning from a meeting.
Sources, according to Oodua News, disclosed that another monarch, Alara of Ara in Ikole LG, however, narrowly escaped when the armed men accosted them and attempted to forcefully take them away.
“They were travelling together. The armed herdsmen stopped them and rained bullets on them. They took their personal belongings and dragged their bodies into the bush,” Oodua News quoted a source as saying.
It was reliably gathered that the vehicle conveying three monarchs was accosted and Oba Ogunsakin and Oba Olatunji were killed while the Alara of Ara-Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Fatoba escaped from the scene.
Sources said the monarchs were returning from Ogbe in Kogi state in a vehicle drove by the Alara when the armed men struck.
When contacted, the police spokesman in the state, Sunday Abutu said: “I will get the details and get back please.”
The chairman of the Ajoni Local Council Development Area, Micheal Ogungbemi confirmed the incident to our correspondent.
Ogungbemi, who condemned the attack, said the gunmen attempted to kidnap the three traditional rulers.
Ogungbemi, who lamented the killing of the revered traditional rulers , said he had mobilised local security outfits including the Amotekun corps to comb the forest in a bid to arrest the perpetrators.
According to him: “ I just returned from the scene of the unfortunate incident along Oke-Ako road and I can confirm that two traditional rulers; the Elesun of Esun-Ekiti and Onimojo of Imojo-Ekiti were killed by the gunmen who ambushed them.
“ The Alara of Ara-Ekiti managed to escape from the incident, he was the one driving when the incident happened.
We have evacuated the remains of the monarchs and deposited them in the morgue at the Ikole General Hospital.
Our local security outfit and Amotekun have been drafted to the scene and the bush to arrest the bandits who committed this dastardly act.”
Ogungbemi, who appealed to the Federal Government to approve usage of arms by the local security outfits in the State, said the attacks have been recurring in the area in the last few years.
“ I am extremely sad with the situation and I want to call on the government to allow our local security network to carry arms because the traditional ruler who escaped told us the gunmen were carrying AK-47 and other dangerous weapons. These people are killing us and it is becoming unbearable.
The secretary of Majority Obas of Ekiti Land (MOBEL) and Onikun of Ikun-Ekiti, Oba Olatunde David Olushola who condemned the killing of the traditional rulers said the time has come for the government to localize security system in order to address the growing insecurity in the land.
The two traditional rulers were active members of our association(MOBEL) and it is very sad.
“ We have been talking over the years but government is paying lip service to the issue of security. The time has come for them to localize the issue of security and sit down with the traditional rulers to secure our communities, we know what to do.
“ This is not issue about money , government should immediately sit down with the traditional rulers for us to secure our land and maintain peace,” he said.