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THE NATION, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2011
‘I never suspected I would become a widow a day after we christened our baby’ T
HE atmosphere was far from being friendly. It was a gathering that featured tears, agony and frustration, following the gruesome murder of a 45-year-old farmer, Abiodun Ogungbe, barely 24 hours after the christening of his baby. The new baby, Mayowa, will only get to see her father in photographs. She had only been born for eight days when some hoodlums terminated her father’s life on his way to answering the call of nature. The incident occurred at Idi-Epa quarters in Idoleyin community in AdoOdo/Otta Local Government Area, Ogun State. The deceased farmer was said to be on his way to the toilet at the back of his house when some hoodlums abducted and killed him, after which they dumped his body at a spot near his home. Bereaved family members said the death of Ogungbe and their endless search for justice constituted a source of trauma for his widow and other members of the family. Some land speculators had allegedly stormed the community with thugs armed to the teeth to forcibly take over parcels of land belonging to the community, made up mainly of people of Egun descent. The development irked the indigenes of the community who protested the invasion of their land by ‘foreigners’. Thus, the stage was set for a violent clash. The 33- year-old widow of the deceased, Olorunwa, fought back tears as she recalled her husband’s last moments in a chat with our correspondent. She said: “The previous day was our child’s naming ceremony. Everyone in
•Mrs Ogungbe with the baby
Kunle AKINRINADE
the community was here to celebrate with us. I did not have any premonition that I would become a widow the next day. “The following day, he was very tired because of the stress he had gone through organising the ceremony. Hence, he had a long rest. But in the evening, he told me he wanted to visit the toilet at the back of our residence. He had barely left the room when I heard him shouting for help. “I immediately rushed out with my baby to see what was going on, only to see that some people had come in about three vehicles and were dragging my husband into one of them. “I started pleading and asking them what my husband had done to them, but I got no response. I was shouting for help, but nobody could come out to offer any help because the hoodlums were shooting sporadically, and there were no men around. “A few minutes after they left, we saw my husband’s body dumped somewhere a few meters away from our house, with wounds on his body and blood stain on his dress. “My husband was a peace-loving farmer. He never engaged in any problem with any one. They just killed him like a fowl, and up till now, his killers are walking freely because they are being protected by powerful individuals in our community and the police.” The distraught father of the deceased, Mr. Segun Ogungbe, who incidentally is the village head, said: “I learnt that the thugs actually came for me. I was
told that when they came, they asked for my whereabouts. They must have decided to visit their anger on my son, and •The late Mr Ogungbe they even brutalised one of my brothers. “Yet in all of this, the police did not show up to protect innocent villagers. When the matter was reported to the police that day, they did not show up to take my son’s corpse. Instead, they asked the family to take care of the situation themselves. “The deceased’s younger brother, who was sent to report the matter, was even on duty to bring the corpse to the detained for hours.” station by myself. I was angry and I told Another family member, Jimoh them that I would report them to the Ketonji, said: “When I learnt that the Area Commander. police were not willing to come and pick “That was what prompted the the corpse, I went to their station in Ado- Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Odo, only to be told by the policemen station, who heard our altercation to