The police in Oyo State have disclosed that the murder of 18-year-old Barakat Bello, and Azeezat Somuyiwa, 29, in Moniya and Akinyele local government areas of Oyo State respectively, are similar to ritual killings.
In a bid to unearth facts behind the murder of the duo, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Nwachukwu Enwonwu, has relocated his office to the area.
The deputy commissioners of Police, Operations; and Criminal Investigation Department in the Command have also relocated to the part of Ibadan city.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, Olugbenga Fadeyi, announced the relocation in a statement dated June 6, made available to journalists in Ibadan, titled, ‘Update on the rising cases of murder similar to that of ritual killings.’
Bello, a Science Laboratory Technology student of Federal College of Animal Health and Production, Ibadan, was raped and killed on Monday, while Somuyiwa, who was said to be seven-month pregnant, was killed on Friday.
The statement by the police read in parts, “The police are aware of the dastardly killing of one Baraka Bello (female), 18-year-old of Oloro Area, Kara, Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State on 31st May, and one Azezat Somuyiwa (female) aged 29 years of Ijefun Community, Moniya Akinyele Local Government Area, on 5th June.
“It should be noted that immediately the Commissioner of Police got wind of the incident, he relocated his office to the area along with the Deputy Commissioner, Operations; Deputy Commissioner, Criminal Investigation Department; Area Commander, Moniya, divisional police offices, Moniya and Ojoo, with all the police tactical teams in company with Special Assistant, and Executive Assistant on Security from Oyo State Government House.
“Furthermore, efforts are on by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, to unravel the mystery behind the dastardly killings.
“The Commissioner of Police, therefore, wishes to use this medium to put the records straight that Azezat Somuyiwa of Ijefun Community, Moniya, that was killed in the early hours of 5th June, by some assailants was smashed with stone on her head.
“The deceased is not a post-graduate student of the University of Ibadan as widely circulated on the social media. Her murder seems similar to that of a ritual killing.’’
It assured members of the public of the resolve of the command to get to the root of the matter.
