Residents of Koro-Ekiti, a community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, have told FIJ how English-speaking men killed Olusegun Aremu, the Onikoro of Koro-Ekiti, on Thursday afternoon.

They said the monarch was resting in front of his palace shortly after returning from a meeting when the gunmen arrived at his palace and shot at him.

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“Yesterday was a terrible day in our community. The gunmen who assassinated our king came prepared for him because they did not harm anyone except him,” one of them told FIJ.

“They met him sitting in front of his palace just as he returned from the meeting. He had not even changed his outfit when they shot him. They abducted his wife while his son escaped through the fence.”

The resident also said she had doubts that the killers were Fulani herdsmen because they spoke fluent English and did not sound like them.

“The people who murdered the king are not Fulani herdsmen, contrary to popular suspicions. They spoke fluent English and had a good command of the language,” he said.

“We heard them shout commands at the king’s wife after they stormed the palace, and we all ran for safety.

“The king’s wife tried to secure everything but they pursued and ran after her. They chased her to a neighbour’s shop before taking her away.”

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Onikoro’s death came a few days after two monarchs in Ekiti State, Oba David Ogunsakin, the Elesun of Esun-Ekiti, and Oba Olatunde Olusola, the Onimojo of Omojola-Ekiti, were murdered by suspected Fulani herdsmen while returning from a meeting.

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