By Mumini AbdulKareem
Popular Lagos-based traditional medicine practitioner, Fatai Yusuf, popularly known as Oko Oloyun who was assassinated by unknown gunmen on Thursday, was in Ilorin some months before his demise to purchase some state of the art vehicle, National Pilot reliably gathered last night.
Although it could not be ascertained why he decided to make the purchase in Ilorin, a source who was in the know of the transaction said he came to purchase 2 Toyota Prado jeeps from a car dealer in the state worth N32m at the rate of N16m per one.
It was gathered that after the purchase, the two cars were driven to Lagos for him by drivers engaged by the particular car dealer (name withheld)
According to the source, late Oko-Oloyun approached the particular car dealer sometimes late last year in Ilorin to buy two Toyota Prado jeeps. But he sought for drivers from them to help him drive the cars back home. Each was sold to him at the rate of N16m each.
The death of Oko Oloyun has attracted diverse comment from across the country with insinuations that he was assassinated over some business issue he had with some of his workers.
The spokesman of Oyo State Police Command, Gbenga Fadeyi said he was shot dead while travelling from Lagos to Iseyin in Oyo State, where he recently commissioned a big building for business.
According to the police, he was hit by a bullet after suspected assassin shot at his vehicle about 4:30 pm on Eruwa-Igbo-Ora road.
“Gunmen attacked his vehicle on the Eruwa-Igboora Road in Ibarapa Central; they shot at his vehicle and he was hit by a bullet. The man’s corpse has been deposited in the Igbo-Ora General Hospital”, Fadeyi said.
According to one of his sons in a report by The Punch, their father was killed hours after his workers burnt vital documents in his Igando, Lagos office.
The report quoted the son who opted to speak on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, that Oko Oloyun was buried on Friday evening.
He said, “I was in school when I got a call that my father was shot. On getting home, I learnt he is dead.”
The son added that his late father uncovered fraud in the company following complaints from some investors who had difficulty relating with the management over their investments.
He said, “The investors know him well and trust he would never steal their money. He was open and there were times he would call us (his children) and tell us what was going on. He engaged an auditor in December 2019 who discovered that there was a fraud.
“In the morning of the day he was assassinated, some of his workers set fire to important office records. He was in a hotel in Ogun State when he got a call from my mother around 7am that some files had been burnt. I don’t know the amount involved in the fraud but it must be something huge for those involved to return.”
According to him, those who killed his father not only hurt the family but also dealt a huge blow to many people benefiting from him.
He described the late herbal practitioner as a loving and generous person who liked making people happy.
“He would rather leave something for you rather than fight you. The police have promised to investigate and bring all the people involved to book. God will expose them. He was preparing for an event on Sunday (today) in Akure, Ondo State when this happened,” he added.
Meanwhile, some Nigerians on social media blamed Oko Oloyun’s murder on the security challenge in the country, noting that the police were overwhelmed.
A Twitter user, Mikhail Barnabas, with the Twitter handle, @barnaby04, said the death of Oko Oloyun had further reinforced the desirability of the South-West security outfit known as Operation Amotekun.
Another Twitter user, The Banter King, @laolualadejana, said, “The intelligence that could lead to the arrest of the killers of Oko Oloyun could have been provided if Amotekun has been on ground before now. The establishment of Amotekun is sacrosanct for our highways to be safe.”
