A royal prince, Chief Rasak Jikoji, who aspired to succeed his father as the new ‘Baale’ of Badore chiefdom, has been killed by suspected assassins.
Badore is a residential community in Ajah with close proximity to Ado, Oke Ira and Olumegbon Palace.
Jikoji’s death is coming one month after he threw a lavish party to celebrate a court judgment, which ruled in his favour on the chieftaincy stool.
The 60-year-old was reportedly assassinated in the company of his personal assistant on Sunday, April 25, 2021.
PUNCH Metro reported that the assailants also smashed the late socialite’s skull open with a big stone.
The prince was rushed to the Lagos Island General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The matter has reported at the Langbasa Police Station.
Narrating the unfortunate incident, the victim’s aide, who craved anonymity for security reasons, disclosed that the attack happened at the deceased’s house on Jikoji Court, Unity Estate, Badore at about 3.00pm.
He stated that the royal blood had invited him the previous day, adding that on getting to the house, he observed that Jikoji was having a meeting with some persons.
The aide said Rasak later led his guests to a piece of land in the community.
“He joined them in their car, while I drove his car behind them. About 15 minutes later, he came down from their car and entered his car. He said we should return home.
“As we were approaching the gate, he wound up the glass. I was about to park when I saw two men coming towards the passenger’s side. One of them covered his face and the other had a gun.
“I believe I heard one of them say, ‘It is you that wants to become Baale’. They tried to shoot twice, but the gun did not go off. They came in front of the car and tried to shoot again.
“I put the car in reverse and tried to speed off. The road was not good and in our attempt to flee, the car ran into a ditch. Chief asked me to run out. I opened the door before they got to us. As we were running, they caught up with him.
“The second guy, who was chasing me, later went back. I looked behind and saw that chief had already engaged the other man who had the pistol. I believe that the gun fell at a point. But the guy, who went back, picked a stone and smashed it on his head. The other guy picked up the pistol and shot him.”
The aide said the suspects later escaped in a tricycle that he had earlier noticed on the premises without suspecting anything.
When he returned to the scene, he saw the socialite in a pool of his own blood and raised the alarm.
In her statement, Jikoji’s widow, Tofunmi, claimed that her husband wrote a petition to the police at the Zone 2 Command over some suspicious movements around him prior to the incident.
While urging the police to get to the root of the murder, she said her husband had several enemies, who might want him dead.
“Some people came to visit us because they wanted to buy a piece of land and he took them to the site. They did not like the land. About 15 to 20 minutes later, my husband was returning home.
“Some people said they sighted strange faces around the vicinity. As he was coming, he was attacked. They shot him and used a rock to break his head to be sure that he died. I was in the kitchen when I was called, and I ran out and saw his dead body in the middle of the road. We need justice.”
A family member, who asked not to be identified, also admitted that the deceased has been involved in a struggle for the chieftaincy stool of Badore.
The former occupant of the stool, Saliu Muraino Jikoji, died in June 2020 and the family nominated the socialite as his successor.
The development did not go down well with some community elders who reportedly backed another candidate, whose name was forwarded to the local government secretariat.
The dispute was later taken to court.
Justice Idowu Alakija of the Lagos State High Court in March ordered that the parties should maintain the status quo, a ruling that the deceased celebrated as part victory.
The substantive suit was adjourned till May.
When contacted, State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, who confirmed the incident, said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba.
“The two persons, who assassinated him, were in a tricycle. They accosted him while in the vehicle and fired him in the chest with what appeared to be an English pistol. He ran out, but they went after him and used a stone to break his head to ensure he died.
“The driver said before they killed him, they said, ‘So, you want to be baale, it is only someone who is alive that can become baale’. It was not a case of robbery. He was a direct target. We are working round the clock and closing in on his killers.”
