Indications have emerged that a 19-year-old boy, Sunday
Sodipe, who confessed on Friday July 17, 2020, that he had killed no
fewer than six persons for ritual purposes in different communities in
Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has
escaped from police custody.
The news of his escape came as
residents of Ori-Oke Olurunkole in the local government area woke up on
Friday morning, to hear news that a middle-aged woman, simply identified
as Olufunmilayo, was hacked to death by suspected ritual killers on
Thursday afternoon.
The development made the youths in the local
government to take to the streets on Friday, protesting the return of
ritual killings to the local government and the alleged escape of Sunday
Sodipe, who was paraded before journalists by the Commissioner of
Police in the state, Nwachukwu Enwonwu, barely one month ago, from the
police custody. The angry youths were said to have pelted some policemen
that attempted to go to Akinyele town with stones, and made it
difficult for the police to access the crime scene.
The woman was
said to have been injured with a machete in four places and she was
said to have died at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan later
in the night. But the Police Public Relations Officer in the state,
Olugbenga Fadeyi, when contacted on the development, confirmed the death
of the woman on Thursday, saying the police have begun investigation on
it. But he could not confirm the allegation that Sunday Sodipe escaped
from police custody, saying: “I will get back to you on that,” but did
not get back till the time of filling this report.
The protesters
argued that nobody was safe any longer in the local government, and
alleged that the police might have collected bribe from the powers that
be to free Sunday Sodipe without taking him to court, adding that the
principal suspect allegedly escaped when police wanted to give him food.
They alleged further that the development had shown that some very
powerful people must have been supporting the ritual killings in the
local government area.
The Alakinyele of Akinyele, Oba James
Odeniran, who condemned return of ritual killings in the town, said the
father of Barakat Bello, a female student of the Department of Science
Laboratory Technology (SLT), Federal College of Animal Health and
Production, Moor Plantation, Ibadan, that Sunday Sodipe confessed he
killed on June 1, this year, informed him that he saw Sodipe in Akinyele
town.
“I was surprised. It was after the incident here that the
man called Baba Barakat came to my palace to tell me that the boy that
killed Barakat, he saw him at Elewure in this Akinyele yesterday and
today. I said no, I can’t believe it. He said he saw him and I said no. I
sent the palace boys to go and investigate where they said they saw
him, they came back to tell me that it was true. The problem with our
people is that by the time they saw that boy, they did not inform
anybody. I was not informed.
“Later, I phoned somebody that I
learnt this boy has been released and he said no, the boy escaped from
police custody. The boy escaped from police custody and nobody was
aware? I said he has done another thing in Akinyele, he has killed
somebody again. They said we should find means of apprehending him.
Since that yesterday (Thursday), I called all the youths. Then, all the
Soludero Hunters and we sent them out to be on the lookout for that boy.
Since yesterday evening, up till this morning, we could not locate the
whereabouts of that boy.”
The Caretaker Chairman of Akinyele
Local Government, Taoreed Adedigba, also said: “We heard that the woman
was attacked with machete. She was rescued immediately and taken to UCH.
So, we heard the report that she died this morning. That was what
prompted residents to embark on a mass protest.
“Unfortunately,
the peaceful protest was hijacked by hoodlums. The hoodlums went to the
extent of pelting security operatives with stones and other objects. But
with the help of God, peace is gradually returning to the area and it
is under control.
“I have called Deputy Commissioner of Police
(Operations) and he has deployed more officers to the area. Also, I
called the Area Commander and Federal SARS and other security operatives
and local security agents such as Soludero Hunters and others have
arrived the area to calm the situation. The Alakinyele of Akinyele, Oba
James Odeniran was also on ground to rescue few police officers that the
hoodlums manhandled.
“The killing was carried out by suspected
ritualists. Residents suspected a ritualist, who was reportedly arrested
by the police, but allegedly escaped from their custody; he was seen in
Akinyele two days ago and yesterday, the residents had to raise the
alarm and people are suspecting he was the one that carried out the
dastardly act.”
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