A 70-year-old man identified as Sikiru Olatunji, who was reported missing in Wasinmi-Imasayi, in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, has been found dead.
His lifeless body was discovered lying face up on Tuesday near the Ibese boundary with Imasayi.
DAILY POST reports that the deceased, who had gone to the farm on Friday, had not returned, and all efforts to locate him proved abortive until his corpse was found.
The Baale of Wasinmi-Imasayi, Taiwo Akinola, stated that he was informed of Olatunji’s disappearance by his wife and had instructed the community security team to search the forest.
During the search, his cap was found, and his boots were seen hanging on a tree.
However, the septuagenarian was later found dead with his farming tool beside him.
Speaking to DAILY POST, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Imasayi, Sanni Waheed, who was present at the scene, described the deceased as a supportive member of the community.
Waheed disclosed that there were no signs of attack or strangulation on the body when it was found.
He said: “It is very surprising, and we are not happy about this incident. This was a very kind and supportive man in the community.
“Many of my men have been in the bush since Friday searching for him, only to discover his body today. It is very unfortunate.
“We found him lying face up, his farming tools beside him, and no sign of attack or strangulation. I feel Baba was exhausted and decided to rest, but unfortunately, his time was up.”
The Baale of Wasinmi-Imasayi, Chief Taiwo Akinola, while reacting to the incident, lauded the security agencies in the community for their search efforts, adding that the deceased’s family can finally have closure.
He, however, called on the government to improve healthcare facilities in rural areas, especially for the elderly, to prevent cases of exhaustion among the ageing population.
Meanwhile, the Olu of Imasayi, Oba Lukman Adeleke Kuoye, told DAILY POST that although there were no visible signs of attack on the body, he could not rule out the presence of herdsmen in the community as a potential factor.
“Thank God we recently had a meeting with the Commissioner of Police of Ogun State when he visited the paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle.
“This issue was raised, and we cannot ignore the possibility of herdsmen being involved. Once they are sent away from Ibese, our neighbouring community, the likelihood of them moving here is high.
“We are appealing to the Ogun Commissioner of Police to implement the resolutions from our last joint security meeting on the issue of herdsmen so that we do not keep doubting ourselves when incidents like this occur.
“If a post-mortem is conducted on the deceased, we cannot entirely rule out the involvement of herdsmen in this case,” the monarch said.
The spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident when contacted.
