>
The Oyo State Police Command, on Saturday said the killing of 29-year old pregnant woman Azeezat Somuyiwa, in Ijefun, Akinyele local government area is similar to ritual killing.
The police said investigations were ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding Somuyiwa’s death and that of 18-year-old Barakat Bello who was raped and killed in the same local government area.
In a bid to unravel the mystery 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 in charge of Operations Criminal Investigation Department in the Command, have also relocated to the area.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, Olugbenga Fadeyi, announced the relocation in a statement titled, ‘Update on the rising cases of murder similar to that of ritual killings,’ dated June 6, and made available to journalists in Ibadan.
The statement read in part: “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, Akinyele Moniya Local Government Area, on 5th June.
“The Commissioner of Police 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 social media. Her murder seems similar to that of a ritual killing.’’
It assured members of the public of the command’s resolve to get to the root of the matter.
Bello, a Science Laboratory Technology student of Federal College of Animal Health and Production, Moor Plantation, Ibadan, was raped and killed on Monday, while Somuyiwa, who was said to be seven months pregnant, was killed on Friday.