A disagreement over the sharing of N8,000 realised during an Egungun festival procession in Ilare community, Osun State, has reportedly led to the death of a young man identified simply as Bukunmi.
The tragic incident occurred on Friday evening after three participants in the masquerade celebration gathered to divide proceeds realised from the procession.
Eyewitnesses said the trio, identified as Bukunmi, Femi and Pelumi, had participated in the Egungun festivities and collectively generated N8,000 from contributions made by residents during the celebration.
According to sources in the community, tension arose while the money was being shared, leading to a heated argument between Bukunmi and Pelumi, who were said to be members of the same family.
A witness disclosed that the confrontation later degenerated into violence despite attempts by another member of the group, Femi, to restore peace.
“At around 7:30 p.m., boys in Ilare town were celebrating the Egungun festival and collected money from people during the celebrations. At the end of the procession, the three people in their group were to share a sum of N8,000 that they made,” the source said.
The witness added that Femi had intervened in a bid to calm the situation before the disagreement took another turn.
“Femi tried to prevail on the two of them not to fight, but suddenly Bukunmi attacked him and hit him in the mouth,” the eyewitness narrated.
The situation reportedly escalated immediately after the assault, with Femi allegedly retaliating by stabbing Bukunmi with a knife during the altercation.
Residents in the area were said to have rushed the injured victim to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.
However, Bukunmi was later confirmed dead from injuries sustained during the attack.
Another eyewitness revealed that the incident sparked outrage within the community, with some residents attempting to attack the suspect before security operatives intervened.
Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were said to have arrived promptly at the scene, rescued the suspect from possible mob action and handed him over to the police at the Esa-Oke Division.
“Those at the scene were on the verge of attacking Femi, but NSCDC operatives responded early enough and took him into custody,” the source added.
The knife allegedly used in the attack was reportedly recovered by the police as part of ongoing investigations into the incident.
Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, said the suspect remained in police custody.
Ojelabi also disclosed that the corpse of the deceased had been deposited in a mortuary for autopsy.
“We are aware of the incident. The suspect is with the police. The corpse has been deposited in the mortuary for autopsy, and investigation is ongoing,” he stated.
