A 53-year-old woman, Akiba Meredith, has been charged with murder after allegedly killing the leader of Oyotunji African Village in Beaufort County, South Carolina, USA, Adegbolu Adefunmi, also known as Oba Adejuyigbe Adefunmi II.
The Oyotunji African Village, which was founded in 1970, is meant to emulate villages of the Yoruba religion in the US, with “a population believed to consist of less than 10 families, although the community was home to over 200 people at its height in the 1970s.”
Adefunmi was said to have been stabbed to death during a heated argument with Meredith who was identified as his sister.
According to abcnews4, the incident occurred on Monday.
The South Carolina authorities received a report of the stabbing around 2:45 p.m. at the village on Bryant Lane, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The 47-year-old victim was taken to a nearby hospital but later died from his injuries.
The suspect fled the scene on foot but was found shortly afterward.
She is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Centre while her bond has been deferred.
A source in the Oyotunji African Village said the family was not giving media interviews this time due to ongoing cultural ceremonies.
The source mentioned that the ceremonies usually last two to three days.
Adefunmi was remembered fondly by locals, including workers at a nearby gas station who said, “The King would stop by every morning for a cup of coffee —he was a good man and will truly be missed.”
Oba Adejuyigbe Adefunmi II was the current leader of Oyotunji African Village, a cultural and spiritual centre for the Yoruba people in America.
He succeeded his father, Oba Efuntola Oseijeman Adelabu Adefunmi I, who founded the village in 1970.
Under his leadership since 2005, the village has continued to reflect traditional Yoruba culture while modernising it.
The case is still under investigation by local authorities.
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