Osun man dies after fight over ₦8,000 masquerade festival proceeds

A tragic incident in Ilare, Osun State, has cast a shadow over the community's Egungun festival celebrations. What began as a customary sharing of proceeds from the masquerade procession devolved into a fatal altercation, highlighting the volatile consequences of disputes over seemingly small sums of money.

“

At around 7:30pm Friday, boys in Ilare town were celebrating Egungun festival and they collected money from people during the celebrations. At the end of the procession on Friday, the three people that were together in their own group were to share a sum of N8000 that they made.

The deceased, identified only as Bukunmi, was reportedly involved in a misunderstanding with another individual, Pelumi, during the division of ₦8,000. Femi, who attempted to mediate, became the target of Bukunmi's aggression. In the ensuing chaos, Femi allegedly retaliated with a knife, inflicting a fatal wound on Bukunmi.

“

One Pelumi and Bukunmi, both members of the same family had misunderstanding, and Femi, intervened and prevailed on the two of them not to fight. Suddenly, Bukunmi attacked Femi, who was mediating. He hit him in the mouth and that angered the mediator, who allegedly stabbed Bukunmi with knife.

This unfortunate event underscores the importance of conflict resolution and the potential for escalating violence even in celebratory contexts. The swift intervention of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the subsequent police involvement were crucial in preventing further escalation and ensuring the suspect was apprehended. The Nigerian Police Force has confirmed the incident and stated that an investigation is underway to ascertain the full details of the event, with the deceased's corpse deposited for an autopsy.

“

After the incident, people around rushed the injured Bukunmi to a hospital. Those at the scene of the crime, were on the verge on attacking Femi, but some operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, that responded early enough, rescued and handed him over to the police in Esa Oke Division.