By SaharaReporters
A Yoruba traditional ruler based in the United States, His Royal Highness Chief Lukman Ojora Arounfale, the Baba Oba of Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, has died following an alleged assault ordered by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade.
The reported assault occurred at the Alaafin’s palace and has been linked to a violent fallout between the Alaafin and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, over matters of royal supremacy.
Chief Arounfale—an American citizen who had lived in the United States for over four decades—was allegedly attacked alongside his wife and driver after a meeting at the palace on April 17, 2025.
The injuries he sustained reportedly led to his death. His family and supporters have publicly accused the Alaafin of masterminding the brutal attack.
Speaking on behalf of the campaign group Justice for Baba Oba, the Secretary-General described how Chief Arounfale was lured to the palace under false pretences and then violently assaulted in a room filled with palace guards and aides, allegedly acting on Oba Owoade’s orders.
In a posthumous audio recording obtained by SaharaReporters, Chief Arounfale emotionally recounted his harrowing experience at the Alaafin’s palace.
Narrating his ordeal in Oyo, the late Chief Lukman Ojora Arounfale recalled how he was lured to the Alaafin’s palace under the pretext of a meeting:
“When I returned to Lagos, some of Alaafin’s followers told me he wanted to speak with me.
I asked them to give me two weeks because I was engaged with something.
But I later decided to make the sacrifice and went. When I arrived, I met many people at the palace, but they quickly ushered me in, saying Baba (Alaafin) was waiting for me.
“Upon entry, they told me to remove my traditional beads before I could see the Alaafin—a request that had never been made of me before. I went in with my wife and those who accompanied me. When it was time to address him, I knelt and greeted him, saying, ‘Kabiyesi!
“He asked, ‘Are you the Baba Oba?’ I said yes. Then he asked why I bore that title and if I was from Oyo. I said I wasn’t. He asked how I became Baba Oba, and I explained that I was crowned by the Ooni of Ife. That was when everything changed.
“I told him that we had had two kings before me at Oyotunji and that the Ooni had always crowned them. But he didn’t want to hear any of it. When I mentioned the Ooni, things escalated. He accused me of coming to spy for the Ooni and said I was illegitimately claiming a royal title.
“Suddenly, his guards began to slap and punch me—right there in his presence. They beat me severely, dragged me out, and continued the assault. I fell. I thought that was the end.
“My driver made a mistake—he had been recording my conversation with the Alaafin without my instruction. When they discovered the recording, they took his phone to delete it. Even after that, they continued beating me. They also beat my wife.”
His grieving wife confirmed the account:
“I was begging them, saying we didn’t send our driver to record anything. But they insisted he was acting on our orders. They seized all our phones and began slapping and beating us. They beat me too.
“The Alaafin was sitting inside while all this was happening. His wife came out, and I tried to explain to her that we had come in good faith—we were invited. I told her we had been to the palace before and that we meant no harm. But she too insisted that the driver acted on our instructions, accusing us of coming to do evil.”
Chief Arounfale said after the brutalisation, the Alaafin ordered their arrest:
“They locked the gate and said we couldn’t leave. Then Alaafin called the police. Five officers came and we were told we were under arrest. They took us in a police vehicle and drove the car we brought as well.
“But the Area Commander used his discretion. He said I didn’t seem like someone who should be detained. He advised that I book a hotel room, sleep there, and return the next morning to apologise so they could let us go.
“He called the Alaafin while I was present, but there was no answer. He then called the chief of staff—again, no answer. So he said he’d send a text message. By 4 p.m., if there was no response, he would ask me to write a letter of apology.
“At 6 p.m., he asked me to write the letter. I wrote three or four lines, saying I didn’t believe I had done anything wrong, but if I had, I was sorry. We didn’t leave Oyo until 6:30 p.m. He [the Alaafin] claimed I was there to spy for the Ooni of Ife.”
Associates of the late Chief confirmed the palace encounter, saying the conflict intensified when he introduced himself using his full title, “Baba Oba of Oyotunji,” and mentioned that his crown came from the Ooni of Ife.
