Osun Festival Tragedy: Man Killed After Dispute Over ₦8,000 Masquerade Proceeds

A disagreement among three participants in a masquerade procession in Ilare, Osun State, has reportedly resulted in the death of one of them, identified simply as Bukunmi.

Two eyewitnesses, who spoke anonymously for security reasons, told PUNCH Online that Bukunmi, Femi and Pelumi participated in a masquerade procession in Ilare on Friday before later gathering to share money realised during the festival.
According to the witnesses, the dispute began during the sharing of ₦8,000 generated from the procession.
One of the eyewitnesses said, “At about 7:30pm on Friday, youths in Ilare town were celebrating the Egungun festival and collected money from residents during the event. At the end of the procession, the three individuals in the group were to share the sum of N8,000 they had realised.
“Pelumi and Bukunmi, who are members of the same family, had a misunderstanding, and Femi stepped in to mediate and prevent a fight. However, Bukunmi suddenly attacked Femi and hit him in the mouth. Angered by the attack, Femi allegedly stabbed Bukunmi with a knife.
“Following the incident, people nearby rushed the injured Bukunmi to a hospital. Some persons at the scene attempted to attack Femi, but operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps arrived promptly, rescued him and handed him over to officers at the Esa Oke Police Division.
“News later emerged that Bukunmi died from the injuries he sustained. The knife allegedly used in the attack, the deceased’s body and the suspect were all taken away by the police.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the incident on Saturday.
“We are aware of the incident. The suspect is in police custody.
“The corpse has been deposited in the mortuary for autopsy. Investigation is ongoing.
“We have to follow due process to determine the circumstances surrounding the death,” he said.