Suspected ritual killers murder teenage girls in Ondocommunity

The people of Iju in Akure North Local Government Area of
Ondo State are yet to come to terms with the reality of the
brutal killing of two of their children by yet unknown
assailants.
Till date, the sleepy town still wears a mournful look, as the
people wonder what could have led to the death of two
teenagers identified as Oyinkansola Owoeye and Folashade
Bello who were reportedly murdered in a gruesome manner.
The parents of the two young girls are still in shock days after
the incident. The death of the two teenagers still remains a
mystery, as no one in the town could confirm how they
actually met their tragic end.
The state police command has vowed to unravel the cause of
the killing and the identities of their killers. But the families of
the two murdered teenagers are keeping silent on the
development.
In spite of efforts by the police authorities in the state to get
rid of cultism and other crimes through the establishment of
the State Rapid Squad (SRS), which is saddled with the
responsibility of arresting members of secret cult groups, ritual
killers still operate in some parts of the state, and one of the
towns where cultism is at its peak is Iju town.
Oyinkansola and Folasade were described as good friends who
were known by almost all the people of the town as they did
things in common during their lifetime. On the day they died, it
was gathered that they went out together as usual, not
knowing that they would not return home again.
It was gathered that suspected ritualists, who were apparently
returning from a shrine in the town, killed the two teenagers. It
was not certain whether the girls were aware of the rituals in
the town on that fateful day, but the reporter gathered that
there are rules that guide some rituals in the town.
A source in the town told the reporter that the two girls were
returning from the farm when they met the suspected
ritualists.
It was learnt that the parents of the two girls and other
relatives, after an intensive search, eventually found the
lifeless bodies by the roadside.
The source said there were machete cuts all over the bodies
of the girls, adding that their blood had been drained,
indicating that the duo might have been murdered by the
suspected ritualists. No one has been able to confirm the
cause of the girl’s death, however.
Since the incident, the entire community of Iju has been
thrown into sorrow. As residents mourn the death of the girls
they express worry about the safety of other residents of the
town.
The police have assured residents that the perpetrators would
be fished out. It was gathered that a crack team of detectives
had been deployed to the town.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Isaac Eke, who spoke
through the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Wole
Ogodo, said the reason for the teenagers’ killing by yet
unidentified assailants had not been ascertained, even as he
promised that the police would fish out the killers.
He said: “We received information that the two girls,
Oyinkansola and Folasade went to the bush to fetch firewood
where they met their untimely death. Our detectives have
visited the scene of the crime while photographs of the
corpses were taken, and they had been removed and
deposited at the mortuary of the State Specialist Hospital for
autopsy.”
He noted that no arrest had been made on the incident,
noting, however, that the command had commenced
investigation.
He appealed to the people of the state to furnish the
command with useful information that could lead to the arrest
of the criminals behind the incident.