80-yr-old Osun Monarch Burnt To Death In His Palace

80-year-old Alase of Ilase-Ijesa in Obokun Local
Government Area of Osun state, Oba Adesina
Anibijuwon, was Wednesday evening, allegedly
burnt to death inside his palace.
Sources say the traditional ruler, who lost his sight
eight years ago was allegedly attacked by some
hoodlums at about 8.00pm inside his palace and
eventually died when the palace was gutted by fire
caused by the suspected arsonist.
Firemen were said to have arrived the scene
promptly, but could not douse the flames as they
ran out of water.
Speaking on the incident, a traditional chief in the
town, Chief Oluwagbemiga Oke, explained that the
house in which the monarch was living, donated to
the town by a prominent native, got razed shortly
after some unknown people paid the king a visit.
According to him, the monarch had attended to five
guests who came in a pink Mazda car before the
incident happened, adding: “From what we were
told, the house got burnt shortly after the people
left.”
Also reacting on the incident, an officer of the state
fire service, Mr. Michael Ogundipe, ruled out the
possibility of electrical fault, saying that findings by
his men revealed that the case was arson.
Ogundipe who took officials of the state
government, including the state Commissioner for
Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere,
Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Sikiru
Ayedun and Special Adviser to the Governor on
Security, Mr Amos Adekunle, round the palace said
there was nothing that suggested electric surge
from the findings made at the scene of the
incident.
It was gathered that two of the monarch’s children
and his house maid escaped unhurt while the fire
raged, but the monarch could not help the
situation due to old age and blindness.
The corpse of the monarch had since been removed
from the burnt palace through the combined efforts
of the Osun Ambulance Services and officers of the
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC,
and taken to the Ladoke Akintola University of
Technolog, LAUTECH, Teaching Hospital, Osogbo
where an autopsy would be conducted.
Police detectives from the state Command are now
investigating the circumstances surrounding the
death of the monarch. The house maid of the
monarch whose name could not be ascertained has
been arrested by the police.
Commenting on the development, an Ijesha High
Chief, the Omu-Owode Ijesha, Chief Adejumo
Operinde said all necessary rituals would be done
by the people of the town in accordance with the
tradition.
Describing the death of the monarch as
unfortunate, Chief Operinde said there was nothing
to attribute to tie the death of the monarch to as
the community was peaceful during his reign.