Family Cry for Help As Attack on farm leaves one hospitalized, others injured in Osun

By: Waheed Ogunjobi.

 

A 57-year-old woman, Ms. Felicia Adelakun, has appealed to the community leaders and security agencies to help protect her life and other family members over a recent attack on them while working in their farm in Ikirun, Osun State.

 Ms. Adelakun alleged that some unknown suspected thugs invaded their farm, named Gbadelak Farms, recently and attacked workers with one of them, Mr. Rasaq Rafiu, thereafter hospitalised while many others sustained series of injuries as they scampered for safety during the attack.

The sudden attacked happened when the workers were busy working on the farm harvesting the crops, she alleged.

While narrating the incident, which was not the first since the gruesome murders of the owners of the farm some years ago, Ms. Adelakun stated that Rasaq sustained injuries on his head and left arm, with other minor scratches all over his body.

“It was a terribly unexpected attack, which we did not see coming,” she said, adding: “Rasaq is still in the hospital where he is receiving medical treatment as I am talking to you now.”

According to her, enough is enough on attacks on the farm, and the family was fully determined, this time around, to report the incident to the traditional leaders and other security agencies in the state.

On why the family has not reported the recent attack to the police, Ms. Adelakun stated that they were still trying to ascertain the identities of the men involved in the attack to get concrete facts before reporting to the police.

She further stated that some of the workers claimed that they suspected a well-known thug (name withheld) in the town as the leader of the attackers who may have been hired by those still interested in taking over the expansive acres of land, which has been in use for farming purposes over several decades ago.

She added:“Though we suspected some powerful people allegedly connected to Ogboni fraternity regarding this attack, but we are gathering more information to be quite sure before we shall report to the community leaders, the Nigeria Police and other law enforcement agencies.”

 “Indeed, during the attack on the farm, the injured workers who claimed that the suspected thugs look like those from Ogboni cult, claimed that the attackers demanded for the whereabouts of Mrs. Salako-Adeoye.  One said they would kill her,” she alleged.

The land, which is a joint ownership venture between the late Messrs. Ayoade Adelakun and Abdulrahmon Gbadamosi, who were in-laws, it was gathered, has been traditionally willed to Mrs. Hannah Taiwo Salako-Adeoye, which led to the disagreement within the family considering the fact that the beneficiary was alleged to be a woman.

“But, that is the choice of my late brother, Mr. Adelakun, to will his farm to his daughter because of many reasons known to him, particularly being the last child well loved by him.  So, why must anyone want to attack her over that,” she explained.

Since the crisis over the land started, Ms. Adelakun further alleged that no fewer than three members of the family (Mr. Ayoade Adelakun, Mr. Abdulrahmon Gbadamosi and Falilatu Gbadamosi) have died in mysterious circumstances.

She expressed appreciation to God that Mrs. Salako-Adeoye, who is the inheritor of the land, was not around during the attack as she further alleged that she was the main target of the attackers.

“We are taking necessary precautions now, since our lives are in danger, and within the next one or two weeks, we would have concluded our proposed family meeting on the next step to take to ensure the safety of our lives and property,” Ms. Adelakun emphasised.

 

 End.