IN-LAWS AT WAR OVER DEATH OF OCTOGENARIAN MAN …AS RIFT RAGES OVER PLANNED FAMILY RITUAL

The hoodlums sources said alleged to have been hired by the Balogun family injured the 81-year-old in-law when they invaded his home to forcefully abduct and whisk away his daughter’s children for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) ritual.

Penpushing further reports that, family source disclosed that the hoodlums hit the octogenarian in-law head against the wall in their attempt to forcefully enter the deceased residence where he lived with his 76-year-old wife, Mrs. Esther Adeoye.

The deceased, it was further gathered, eventually died in the hospital last September 7 from the severe injuries he sustained while preventing the hoodlums from abducting his four grandchildren – three girls and a boy – whose ages range between eight and 19 years old.

Penpushing also reports that the sources specifically said the Balogun family insisted on carrying out the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on the three girls and their mum, Oluwabukola Victoria Balogun, who had been threatened over failure to release her children for the family tradition.

The family, led by Abdulfatai Balogun and Chief Samodi Balogun, prior had earlier warned Oluwabukola to release her children for the FGM, failure of which she would be severely dealt with for obstructing family ritual.

Penpushing reports that, the family source added that, the 42-year-old Oluwabukola, who earlier had relocated her children from their Ota residence to Ibadan, Abuja and Akure to avoid her in-law’s anger, and for safety reasons, is believed to have gone into hiding with her three-year-old US born last daughter following multiple attempted attacks on her.

“She was afraid for her life and her children, so she relocated her children to Ibadan, then to Abuja and later, after further threat, to Akure to stay with her friend, one Mrs. Oluwabunmi Folashade Abdul-kareem who sheltered them at her Okunta Elerinla Quarters for a while,” Oluwabukola’s close friend, Mrs. Omowunmi Monsurat Badmus, disclosed.

“In fact, my friend (Oluwabukola) has gone into hiding since then and her mother has not been herself as she cry almost daily,” she explained, adding: “Bukky moved the children to her parents in Ibadan before going into hiding, and that is where the hoodlums invaded and attempted to abduct them, but failed.”

Penpushing further reports that, Badmus stated that since the octogenarian’s death, his family members have distanced themselves from their in-laws as they began reviewing their next line of action, stressing, “now the two in-laws have not been on talking terms, and the Adeoyes are thinking on what next to do to avenge the death and to prevent their grandchildren from harm,”.

However, several attempts to talk to the deceased’s wife were unsuccessful as family source said that she was still mourning the death of her husband and was not prepared to speak with journalist, while in similar vein, Badmus declined to reveal the whereabouts of her friend, saying that such disclosure could compromise her safety and the children.