A resident of Kajola Village near Apomu in Osun State, Lukman Adejoju, has been arrested by the police for allegedly killing his mother, Aminat, who was said to be around 100 years old, following a dispute over proceeds of palm oil they sold.
Sources resident in the village who knew about the incident but preferred to speak on the condition of anonymity told PUNCH Metro that it happened around 4:00 pm on Saturday when the suspect and the deceased were going to the farm.
A villager, who preferred anonymity, said the suspect attacked his mother due to a disagreement between them over the money they were to be paid by their labourer that assisted them in selling the palm oil.
Another villager, simply identified as Rasaki, said Lukman and the deceased mother hired the labourer, who assisted them in selling some kegs of palm oil.
Having assisted them in selling the items, he said the man wanted to remit the proceeds, and the late Aminat reportedly insisted that the money should be paid to her, which angered the suspect.
He further said, “Residents of the village were all disappointed when we heard of the incident. The incident happened in Kajola village near Apomu on Saturday at about 4 pm.
“We heard that Lukman who should be around 63 years old had a disagreement with her mother, Aminat, aged 100 years, over who should collect the proceeds from their palm oil plantation.
“A labourer that was hired by the two of them wanted to remit the proceeds of the sales but the mother insisted that she ought to receive it first. That led to a serious misunderstanding. Lukman attacked the woman and killed her.”
He said the incident led to tension resulting in the arrival of security agents like the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and others to douse the tension.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Osun State Command of the NSCDC, Kehinde Adeleke, said the suspect was arrested and taken to a police station in Apomu, adding that normalcy had returned to the village.
The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, who said the suspect had been transferred to the command headquarters in Osogbo for further investigation, noted that Lukman was helping investigation into the crime.
Opalola said, “They were both going to farm when they disagreed. The suspect said he could not explain the spirit that possessed him. He admitted that he pushed the deceased, who should be about 100 years old and the woman fell and died.
“He has been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in the headquarters in Osogbo for further investigations.”