WOLE BALOGUN, Ado-Ekiti
A sudden thunderstorm has struck dead a young herbalist, identified as Babatunde Sule in Aramoko, Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
The victim was a staff of Ekiti State House of Assembly Commission before he was killed at the weekend in his rented apartment at Oke-oja area of the town.
Residents of the town said the unfortunate incident which had thrown the area into mourning and confusion occurred shortly after a downpour in the town which lasted for about two hours.
They said until his death, Sule was a notable traditionalist and a chieftain of the traditional worshippers association in the community.
The thunderstorm was said to have occurred suddenly and reportedly struck the deceased’s home and killed him while he was cooking in the kitchen.
A neighbour who was said to have been terrified by the intensity of the strike had run into the kitchen to meet the deceased, but unfortunately met him lifeless in a pool of his blood.
One of the residents said: “The unfortunate incident took everybody in the town unawares, because the victim was a notable person in the town and immediately the news filtered out, an attempt was made to contact some “sango” worshippers; the matter was also reported to the divisional police station in the town.
“The traditional rites have begun and it will last for seven days in the community; it is expected to be accompanied by a downpour in the area. This type of incident has never happened in this town; that is why everybody is panicking about it,” the source stated.
As at the time of filing this report, traditional worshippers in the area had begun the traditional rite of passage for the late herbalist while the body has been removed from the scene for burial.