Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Residents of Odo-Oja area of Ikere-Ekiti, in Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State, are currently wallowing in fear following the gruesome murder of a 78-year-old widow, suspected to have been killed by ritualists.
Daily Sun learnt that the deceased, Mrs Sabianah Aranilewa was slaughtered and her blood and vital organs were reportedly drained and harvested respectively for ritual purposes by the suspects.
The deceased’s son Mr. Eyitope Aranilewa, who narrated how the incident happened, said that his mother got missing on Friday, May 29th, around 6:45am while washing clothes in front of her residence at the popular Moshood Road, Odo-Oja area of Ikere-Ekiti.
He said his mother’s friend simply identified as Mrs Ojolo raised the alarm and swiftly organised a search party but efforts to find her proved abortive until 4pm when her corpse was found inside a shallow flowing stream with her throat slit and vital organs harvested.
“On that fateful day I got a distress call that my mother was missing. It was my mother’s friend, one Mrs Ojolo who lives within a short distance from her shop that raised the alarm when she did not see her in the shop.
“The matter was instantly reported to the Police. It was while at the police station that information came that the corpse of Mrs Aranilewa was found at a place not far from the home.
“She was slaughtered like a goat and the corpse dumped in a shallow stream flowing through the back of her home,” he said.
When contacted, the Ekiti Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sunday Abutu, confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate and mysterious.
Abutu said investigation has begun into the case and the Criminal Investigation Department had been directed to take over the case, adding that the corpse of the deceased had been recovered and deposited in the morgue of the State Specialist Hospital, Ikere-Ekiti.