Mohammed Abubakar
By Toba Suleiman
Following the recent crisis generated by the killing of a 70-year-old woman, Mrs Rebecca Adewumi, in Omuo-Ekiti, in Ekiti East Local Government area of Ekiti State, the traditional ruler of the community, Oba Noah Omonigbehin, has declared that the community had no hands in the death of the woman.
The deceased was allegedly beaten to death on June 30 by some youths in the area for alleged witchcraft and inflicting her step son, Ola , who had since died, with a strange illness.
But, while briefing reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, the Odofin of Omuo-Ekiti, High Chief Sunday Olonitoke, who spoke on behalf of the Olomuo-in-council, denied the allegation that the late Adewumi was humiliated and tortured to death by the people of the community.
According to the chief, “An autopsy had been carried out on the corpse of the deceased twice and it was reported that the deceased was neither poisoned, starved, nor beaten to death as claimed by her siblings.
“The body of the deceased was physically examined and there was no proof that her fingers were cut, her hair shaved with broken bottles, body roasted, neither was she poisoned, nor her body mutilated as a result of beating or application of any other thing for that matter as claimed by the relations of the deceased.”
He recalled that during the autopsy, the corpse was physically examined by a pathologist in the presence of the deceased’s family members.
Describing as unfair the aspersion being cast on the monarch of the town and chiefs, Olonitoke said they neither took part nor supported the killing of the woman.
The chief, who said the issue of witchcraft was not alien to Yoruba land, recalled that when the issue came up, the palace played its traditional role of protection and fair play to everybody concerned by inviting the accused to defend herself.
While denying that the lives of relatives of the deceased were being threatened, the chief said efforts put in place by the community to ensure amicable resolution of the crisis had been thwarted by the deceased’s relatives who he claimed had refused to embrace the olive branch extended to them by the community.