Mrs Moji Olorunfemi is the mother of Temitope Olorunfemi, the boy that was killed in a mob attack at Ijoka in Akure on Easter Monday. In this interview with newsmen she described her son as a very quiet young man. Our reporter, TOLA GBADAMOSI was there, excerpts.
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Mrs. Temitope Olorunfemi. I am the mother of the boy killed at Ijoka last Monday. My son attended Marshall Navy. When he finished there, there was no job, he said he will stay in Lagos to ensure he make ends meet. At the time he came home, he said things were very hard in Lagos, that he wanted to do Uber. That if he gets a vehicle it could be lucrative for him to start doing Uber. That was when his father got him a car to run the business three years ago. He has been in Lagos since doing the business.
He called me one time that he was arrested by the police for parking at a wrong place we had to call some people to help us to resolve the case. As at that time, his wife was with me. She just joined him last year September in Lagos. They came back early this year for my mother’s funeral. At that time, he was looking lean. I complained, he said Lagos was not an easy place to survive.
During last Easter period, he came home because his wife and baby were still with me since the burial ceremony of my mother. Then, he said he wanted to go to Lagos with his family. The wife said they should be going. He said he was not ready. He told his wife to go to her mother’s place, after then he came and said he was leaving for Lagos with his family. The wife then said she will not carry much load. That was how she dropped some of her clothes and the baby’s cloth in the vehicle and left the bag at home.
On Sunday, we were all together in the morning. It was later in the day he took his immediate younger brother, Oyindamola Olorunfemi out for driving lessons. While driving, they sent me a video and I was even telling them international driver. At the time they came back we all ate and played. That evening I called him, he said he wanted to spend the night at his friend’s house called Sugar.
The following morning which was on Monday, I called his number, but was not going. Later in the day, his father called me and was shouting. Tope, Tope, I said what happened to Tope. He said I should come over at once. I ran quickly to him. By the time I got to the venue, I saw my son, Tope facing the floor in the pool of his blood. When I called his name, he looked up. His immediate elder brother was also there who is 30 years old and he himself is 25 years old. I started shouting on his brother Oyindamola to assist me to carry his younger brother up. But the crowd stopped us from helping him up.
Immediately, a very tall man came around, poured petrol on him and lite up fire. I quickly took the fire from him and threw it away.
The man, called Luku still went ahead to pick up a very huge stick and used it on him. My eldest son, who knew him called his name and said he is my younger brother Luku. Another man carried a huge stone and smashed it on my son’s face.
They said they saw a snake, and other things in his vehicle. Meanwhile, they were the belongings of his wife and baby. That was how they took my son Tope from me brutally.
