Mrs Veronica Falodun, widow of the late Oba Kehinde Falodun, has narrated her harrowing escape during the brutal attack by gunmen that claimed her husband’s life in Akure North Local Government Area, Ondo State.
Mrs Falodun in an interview with newsmen, said she narrowly survived by hiding in the bush as gunmen rained bullets on the palace.
“As they started shooting, I ran into the bush. They also shot at me, but the bullets did not hit me,” she said.
Oba Falodun was attacked around 7 pm while attending to visitors in his palace. According to eyewitnesses, about ten bandits stormed the palace intending to kidnap the monarch. When gunfire failed to penetrate, they resorted to beating him with heavy objects before dragging him outside, where he was fatally struck.
Mrs Falodun described the horrifying scene: “They wanted to drag him out, but he told them, ‘I am a king, you can’t take me.’ They started shooting, but the bullets did not penetrate. They then forcefully dragged him to the main road. After they left, we saw his lifeless body with blood on his head.”
Chief Busayo Odeyemi, a local leader, called the attack “tragic and unprecedented” in the otherwise peaceful community and urged security agencies to bring the culprits to justice. He described how the attackers used guns, cutlasses, and sticks on the monarch after initial shots failed.
State Police Commissioner Adebowale Lawal, who visited the community, assured residents that a manhunt was underway. He confirmed that the command, working with other security agencies, is determined to identify, apprehend, and prosecute the criminals responsible for the king’s death.
The attack has left the community in shock, with residents pleading for swift justice and stronger protection against such violent incidents.
