The family of a 35-year-old man, Tope Olorunfemi, who was lynched to death by the mob for crushing two people to death and injuring four others, has denied the report that he was an internet fraudster.
The mother of the deceased, Mrs Mojisola Olorunfemi, told that his son, Tope was an Uber Driver and was never an internet fraudster known as Yahoo boy.
The mother explained that the vehicle of his son had issue and rammed into a commercial motorcyclist and he was mobbed to death in her presence, while she was helpless to stop the lynching of his son.
She said “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 too much for him.
“They had parked their belongings in the car including his wife and child and left it in the car since they had 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”
She explained further, “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 an hustler since his childhood. He had engaged in many menial jobs like bricklaying and other job to make ends meet before embarking on this Uber business”
She however, pleaded with the state government to ensure that those behind the mob action are brought to book and said ” the state government should help bring those behind my son’s death to book, those who kill by 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 youth in the country. My husband is a bolt driver not a yahoo boy.”
