By OLA AJAYI, Ibadan

….how he shot self
It is a common belief that no one knows the day of his/her death just because death would come unannounced. But for Alamu Olajire, 38, he had been speaking of his death in parables, many thought it was just an empty threat.  His condition was worsened by not only his health challenges but the fact that his wife left him with six children to cater for.

He made good his threat on Saturday, February 11,2012 by pointing his dane gun at his chest and pulled the trigger. After the deafening sound and the hot lead pierced his broad chest, it was the lifeless body of the hunter that jolted residents of Bakatari, Omi Adio and the neighboring Eleso village thus fulfilling the earlier threat by the deceased that he would act a seasoned film that many of them would not wait to watch to the end.

Although, eight days after his uneventful death, the remains of the hunter had been collected after much pressure from the State Criminal Investigations Department, SCID, and interred according to Islamic rite, his kinsmen still wonder why he had decided to cut short his life, first time that someone would take his own life in the community.

His death still remains a mystery to many people who heard about the incident with some people saying he died of frustration, while others are saying he was under a spell.

To his perturbed grandmother, Mama Osun who lives at Omi-Adio area, she cannot say precisely what befell Olajire.  All she narrated was that he complained about his runaway wife and how she abandoned her six children for him and his chronic stomach pain which had refused to heal.

Sympathizers at the scene

She said, “After expressing his displeasure at the attitude of his wife, I tried to pacify him, not to take laws into his hand. It was after then he discussed his health problem with me and I then assured him that the whole issue will be resolved. I again tried to appeal to him against taking laws into his hand when I noticed the way he was talking. On his health, I told him we cannot get any treatment from the doctor because we are still indebted to the hospital. After all my explanations, something told me he was not satisfied”.

When asked when he came to her, she explained further that “he came to me very early in the morning. I remember him telling me that I will not be happy with what he would do after he left me. That was how he left my house in annoyance in a motorcycle. I don’t know that he was going to kill himself. His house is still under construction. See how he has left me sorrowful”.

On learning of his death, the sorrow was too much for her to bear especially as she recalled how supportive he had been to the family. She collapsed and remained unconscious for several minutes before she was resuscitated.

Before shooting himself in the chest, according to the information gathered, the hunter, probably due to some local charms he had done to prevent penetration of bullets into his body, removed all the amulets and other charms.

While some of the villagers are of the firm belief that Olajire was under a spell because his suicide would be the first ever recorded in the community, others, who would not want their names in print, believe the frustration that arose from his health problem must have led him to commit the heinous crime against himself.

A source said, “He called his sister in Lagos some days ago telling her it was going to be a seasoned film, which none of the family members would be able to watch till the end. That has been his usual comment for quite some time now. He told me the same thing.  But, we never knew that what he meant was taking his life in this gruesome way”.

Others who added their voices to the incident that led to his death also disagreed with those who said he must have taken his life as a result of his deteriorating health.

His childhood friend, Femi Olaiya told Crime Guard that the deceased had at a time, been visiting a clinic in Eruwa, looking for solution to his stomach pain adding that a medical practitioner, at Omi Adio used to attend to the late hunter, still the traumatizing belly pain did not give him a respite. But, he still believed that this could not have pushed him to kill himself.

A community leader, Chief Mukaila Adebayo described the sad incident as shocking adding that he had heard of cases of someone being under a spell, he was not sure whether Olajire’s death could be taken as one of such cases.

He said he was afraid when he heard the booming sound of a gun even though he was not aware of what was happening. According to his own account, the gunshot was heard around 7am and minutes later, he heard people wailing.

Also, an Islamic cleric corroborated the claim of Chief Adebayo saying the reason for casting spell on a person “varies. Somebody under a spell may have offended some people who have resolved not to forgive him or they just want to punish his people”.

From information further gathered, the hunter, who was still being burdened by stomach pain, could not stand it when his wife suddenly packed out and left him to carry the burden alone.

After the incident was reported at Apata Police Station, some policemen came to the scene to pack the remains of Olajire who was bleeding from the chest and took it to the mortuary of Adeoyo State Hospital.