The family of a 35-year-old man, Tope Olorunfemi, who was lynched by an irate mob in Akure, Ondo State for crushing four persons to death, said the deceased is not an internet fraudster, known as Yahoo boy.
The mother of the deceased, Mrs Mojisola Olorunfemi said in Akure that the vehicle with which her son had the unfortnate accident was bought by the deceased’s father.
She lamented that she watched helplessly as her son was lynched to death.
Her words: “Tope was never a Yahoo boy but a gentle boy. He moved to Lagos after his education, where he got a vehicle and registered as a Uber driver to make ends meet.
“His father later bought a vehicle for him about three years ago for the Uber driving business.
“He was in Akure with his wife for the Easter celebration and I noticed he had become lean and asked them to stay back for a week before returning to Lagos when they said the stress in Lagos is much for him.
“They had parked their belongings in the car including his wife and child and left them in the car since they have agreed to stay behind.
“So the clothes in his car belong to his wife and child and he was never a ritualist or Yahoo boy.
“On Monday morning it was the father that called me and explained to me what happened and I rushed there only to meet my son in his pool of blood.
“I tried to save him but the mob turned against me and prevented me from rescuing him.
“I was there looking at him helplessly while his siblings could also not stop the mob action and they even hit me with planks.
“All these claims that some fetish objects were found in his car were nothing but tissues of lies.
“The piggy bank found in his car belongs to the wife and not a small coffin or casket as they claimed.
“My son has been a hustler since his childhood. He had engaged in many menial jobs like bricklaying and another job to make ends meet before embarking on this Uber business”.
The bereaved mother pleaded with the state government, to ensure that those behind the mob action are brought to book.
” The state government should help bring those behind my son’s death to book, those who kill by the sword would surely die by sword too. Those who killed Temitope should be made to face justice.
Also speaking, the wife of the deceased, Mosunmola Bosede Olorunfemi, also said his husband was not a Yahoo boy and called on the state government and the state police to investigate the death of her husband.
“I want to appeal to the state government and the police to investigate my husband’s death. The government should do something about the killing of a youth in the country. My husband is a bolt driver not a Yahoo boy”.
