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Tragedy – Fire Burns Another Traditional Ruler To Death In Ogun State

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Kano Thrown Into Mourning As Late Night Fire Kills 20 Persons
File photo: Fire incident
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There was a commotion on Monday at the palace of the Baale of Olowe Gbagura in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State over the death of Chief Akin Muheedeen.

The traditional ruler according to reports, was suspected to have been killed and burnt to death by unknown assailants.

Muheedeen as confirmed to newsmen by his wives had stepped out of his room to observe morning prayers within the house when he was attacked and killed by the yet to be identified persons who later set him on fire,

Naija News understands that the recent tragedy is coming one month after the Olu of Agodo, Oba Ayinde Odetola, was killed and burnt to death in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state.

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Speaking on the Monday horror event, family sources told reporters that some unknown persons had broken a window to gain access to where Oba Muheedeen was and carried out the heinous act.

According to reports, there was an unsettled land dispute involving the monarch.

The Baale was recently arrested and arraigned for his alleged involvement in a tussle with some individuals claiming ownership of the land he was equally laying claim to.

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The village head was expected to appear in court on March 15, but he is said to have also commenced the amicable resolution of the matter before his sudden death on Monday morning.

Speaking on the sudden demise of the traditional ruler, one of his wives, Silifat, told Daily Post that she was returning from the mosque around 6 am when she saw fire billowing from their compound.

When I saw the fire, I shouted, I didn’t know what was happening. I rushed down, only to discover that my husband was on fire, already dead. We later found out that a window at the back of the house was broken. We didn’t know who killed him,” Silifat said.

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In her statement, the second wife, Iyabode, told reporters that she slept in the same room with her husband, saying her husband left the room at dawn to urinate and pray as usual.

“He used to pray every morning, so he went out around 6 am to urinate and prepare for prayer. After about 15 minutes, I heard my senior wife shouting, ‘fire, fire’. I rushed out to discover that it was Baale that was on fire. He didn’t go out with fire or matches. We don’t know who did this,” Iyabode explained.

Speaking, the Seriki of Olowe, Chief Kazeem Dauda, while condemning the incident, explained that there was an issue between the Baale and some individuals.

A few days ago, I was here with him to talk to him so as not to panic about the case in court. Some people have been claiming ownership of his land. He was even arrested and granted bail in court. He was supposed to be in court again on the 15th of March. He was a gentleman. This would be the first time he would have an issue with anyone.

“I got a call this morning that he burnt himself to death. I said, ‘how come?’ But when I got here, we discovered the window was broken. He couldn’t have burnt himself like that,” the Seriki said.

However, the Ogun State Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said he had not been briefed about the horrible event as at when the event was reported.