Gbenro Adesina
The family of Sofiat Pelumi Okeowo, a fashion design apprentice, who was raped and murdered by four teenagers for money ritual in Abeokuta, Ogun State, have revealed more information surrounding the incident, claiming that the killers hypnotised her into where she was killed.
The four killers, who claimed that they only needed the head for money ritual are: Mustakeem Balogun (Boyfriend), Abdulgafar Lukman, 19, Wariz Oladeinde, 17, and Soliu. They killed the lady at Oke Aregba and took the head to Kugba, where they burnt it.
The culprits, were today transferred from Adatan Police Station to Ogun State Police Command, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
According to the head of Vigilante in the area, Segun Adebisi, immediately the vigilante got wind of the incident, they swung into action and arrested the culprits.
At a spot where the head of Sofiat was burnt was a tree where three figurines were tied, a burial ground, local pots for burning charms, bottles of hot drinks, and different types of slippers, among other things.
Sofiat, who lost her father few years ago, was living with her mother in a slum at Baba Alaja Compound of Idi Ape Area in Abeokuta, where she sells bread in front of their house. Until her death, she had only mat, which she used to sleep in her room and few clothes she wears. At the time of the incident, it was gathered that she had no shoes and she had to borrow slippers from her friend, whenever she wants to go out.
Her master, who identified herself as Mrs Gbadamosi, stated that she did not come for work on the day of her death, pointing out that her last day at work was the previous day, Friday January 28, 2022.
“She was in the shop on Friday and we closed together late in the evening. She did not come to work on Saturday, the day she was killed but I saw her helping her mother to do one thing or the other. I saw her fetching water. She also helped her mother to sell bread”, Mrs Gbadamosi added.
Though, many people who spoke on the deceased held that she was less than 20 years of age, but her younger brother, Gbenga Ajayi, said that she was not less than 24.
The elder sister to the deceased, Muinat Okeowo, explained about the last day of Sofiat at home saying, “Our mother asked her what she wanted to prepare for dinner for the family and she said beans. Our mother said no problem and gave her money to buy the beans. She bought the beans, picked it and put it on the fire. She also bought pepper and red oil that would be used to cook the beans. She added all the ingredients except red oil before she received a mysterious phone call. Mustakeem, her boyfriend, called her around 7:30pm. She came to me and told me she wanted to go out but she did not tell where she was going and whom she was going to meet. I said no problem but I didn’t know she was going to a far place. I collected my touch light from her”.
“Around 8:30pm, I called her and she picked the call and said that she would soon be at home and I abused her on the phone. I called her again around 9:30pm, but her phone was switched off. I called her again at 10pm but the phone remained switched off. Later, we heard that somebody has been killed at Kugba Area and I told my mother that I had to go there and check because we were looking for Sofiat. When I got there, I could not recognise her. I went back home to take her picture, which I took to the Police Station, Adatan, where the DPO told me that my sister has been killed”, she added.
Explaining further, the elder brother to the deceased, Samuel Okeowo, who corroborated Muinat added that Sofiat’s boyfriend, who called her instructed her not to come with anybody.
He said, “I know the boyfriend. He is a son of a popular Muslim clergyman in our community. The father is Alfa, who has a mosque. The mosque is not far from this place we live. The father recently did Wolimo for somebody in his mosque. The mother of this boy is a fashion designer. She has a shop at Isale Ijeun. I used to see them together, talking on the street. I can’t stop a grown up like my sister from seeing a man. When the boyfriend called her, he told her on the phone that she should not come with anybody. The point is that she has been going to the guy at home but she always visit the guy with her younger niece, who is a daughter of our elder sister. On that day, she did not go with the girl”.
He explained that the boyfriend first had sex with her before killing her.
Further shedding light on the incident, Christiana, a friend to the murdered lady said that Sofiat borrowed her slippers to go and meet her boyfriend.
Her words, “I don’t know anything about the boy. I only know him around because her father is Alfa, whose mosque is somewhere around us. The boy is popular because his father is Alfa in the community. Sofiat had never told me anything about the boy. I don’t even know that she had a boyfriend. But on that day, she came to me and asked me to borrow her my slippers, which I did. My self and Saida, waited for her to return but she did not return. She was not a wayward girl. When we did not see her, we had to go and sleep and the next we heard was that she has been murdered.”
The step mother to the deceased, Mrs Iyanua Idowu stated that such incident is becoming rampant in the area, saying that sometime ago, a lady was killed on her birthday.
The family members, neigbours and friends of the deceased are crying for justice, stressing that the government should ensure that justice is earned on the matter.
They want the murderers of Sofiat to be killed too saying if such people are allowed to live, ladies are not safe in the society.
