It was possible that those who murdered Mrs. Olufunke Oyeyemi Olakunri, the third – born and the last of the three daughters of the five children of Pa Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti, did not know who her father was when they attacked her 12 days ago. In other words, that it was just unfortunate for her to have been in the area at that time to be a victim of the incident.
But other considerations point to the fact that it was possible that she was targeted. The first reason for such a conclusion was the report that the attackers did not take anything inside her car or in the boot. This showed that the assailants were not armed robbers out to steal, but people out to kill her.
Secondly, of all the vehicles and travellers caught up in the melèe only Mrs. Olakunri’s car was riddled with bullets with the right – hand – side owner’s – corner back seat where she sat being the principal target of their volleys of shots. Other vehicles were reportedly shot at once or twice. If the bandits were angry because her driver was trying to reverse out of the danger zone, it was the tyre or tyres of the car they should have aimed at. Not the people inside it. To have done otherwise meant they were out to kill not to abduct.
What most people outside Akure do not know is that Pa Fasoranti’s younger sister, Olatubosun Fasoranti, is the wife of His Royal Highness Samuel Oluyemi Falae II, the Olu Abo of Ilu Abo a town of eighteen to twenty thousand people near the Akure Airport, who was kidnapped on his farm by Fulani herdsmen in September 2015.
According to Mr. Kehinde Fasoranti, a younger brother of Mrs. Olakunri, in a report in some newspapers four days ago, on Sunday, July 21, the police in Ore told him that onlookers at the scene that day said Fulani herdsmen killed his sister, not armed robbers.
Mrs. Olakunri’s murder came about three weeks after the Afenifere, a political group led by her father, met at her old man’s residence in Akure and issued a statement that the people of the South – West would resist the invasion of Yoruba land by Fulani herdsmen or any group.
Given this, how would one not see the murder of Mrs. Olakunri as a planned onslaught by her killers? Especially as she was the only one whose life was terminated and no one with her in the car was pursued into the bush and kidnapped.
There are dozens of farms in Akure including the area where Falae’s is located and there are dozens of Afenifere leaders in Yoruba land apart from Pa Fasoranti. Why is it that it is only Falae’s farm that has been invaded by Fulani herdsmen in Akure? And why has Pa Fasoranti being the only Afenifere leader bandits have gone after in Yoruba land?
The police need to find out on these. Are there people after the Fasoranti and Falae families and why? As they have done since September 2015 for Oba Falae, the police should as from now have their men with a stand-by vehicle for round – the – clock protection of Pa Fasoranti at home and anywhere he goes. The same should apply when his three remaining children, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Ogunboye, Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti (a medical practitioner) and his twin – brother Mr. Kehinde Fasoranti, a pharmacist, are traveling outside Akure. Their situation has necessitated this suggestion.
Instead of Chief, Falae since 1982 when he succeeded his father Oba Joshua Alakete Falae I, should have been addressed as His Royal Highness (HRH). But it’s better late than never and it is therefore good that the mistake has been realized and rectified. His Royal Highness (HRH) is the title for the traditional ruler of a small town or village known as Baale in Yoruba land, while His Royal Majesty (HRM) is for the king of a big town or city.
Next week: How to effectively tackle the invasion of Yoruba land by herdsmen or religious fanatics from outside the South-West.
Born–again who ignored God’s message and died of stroke
The man got to know in 2004 that the Heavenly Father speaks with me one – to – one when he read the book the Lord caused me to publish that year on His plan to uplift the country in the comity of nations. The book is titled: Nigeria Set Aside by God for Greatness and the untold story of June 12 annulment.
A few months after he got a copy of my book the man phoned and requested that I pleaded with the Ancient of Days to grant him the grace of speaking with Him. I did and the Most High acceded to his request, if he was ready to provide a white cow to be used for the prayer to facilitate His talking with him.
The man agreed and made the cow available and the Lord began speaking with him whenever we went on a spiritual retreat to Ado Ekiti. During one of such visits the following year, in 2005, the Most High told him he would in a few months run into armed robbers during a long trip from Lagos. And that they would kill him, but to escape death he would need to provide a ram for deliverance prayer and ceremony. He complied.
A few months later the man was traveling from Lagos to Port Harcourt through the Sagbana route for a contract appointment when he met some armed robbers at a road block they mounted. In spite of taking the two hundred thousand naira he had with him, one of the bandits was still out to kill him.
He said it was disgraceful for a big man like him to be traveling with such a little amount when he knew that they the road masters could be on the highway to collect toll fees. He was said to have brought out his gun and pulled the trigger, but it did not click.
He was working on the pistol to try again when their boss stopped him, wondering why he wanted to kill the innocent “oga” after taking all the money he had on him. A few days after the man returned to Lagos he said we should go to Ado – Ekiti for him to thank the Lord.
For the next ten years or so, he continued going to the Ekiti State capital to speak with the Supreme Being whenever the need arose. I was therefore shocked late in 2015 when the Ancient of Days sent me to him that he needed to provide a ram for prayer to prevent him from having a stroke and he refused.
On the ground that he had become a born – again Christian and could not engage in sacrifices again, saying he rejected the message in Jesus’ name. Some said his wife who belonged to a Pentecostal church might have influenced him.
Next week: His change of heart when his death was near. But it was too late.