Found Dead: Lagos Ritualists Pluck Out The Eyes Of A Missing Lady

A 36-year-old woman, Olukemi Gbelee, who was reported missing by P.M.NEWS last Thursday while on  her way to the voter registration centre at Baruwa in Ayobo-Ipaja Local Council Development Area  has been found dead.

She was alleged to have been abducted and killed by suspected ritualists, the second such incident  in the last four months.

The mutilated corpse of the lady was found six days later (Saturday) inside a bush at the Mechanic  Village around Two-storey bus-stop in the LCDA.

Her two eyes were removed by the ritualists.

She was said to have left home as early as 4 a.m. to pick a number and  register for the exercise  later in the day.

When P.M.NEWS visited her parents’ residence on 56, Candos Road, Baruwa, Ipaja, her visibly shaken  and hypertensive father was not allowed to speak with our reporter. but her younger brother,  Omotayo Gbelee, said: “On Sunday evening, a friend came to visit us at home and we discussed the  need to go to the registration centre very early in the morning and pick a number so that we will  be able to perform the exercise on time.

“That friend told us that she got there around 4 a.m. the previous day and picked number 20.  Initially she (the deceased) felt reluctant to go to the centre that early but my father encouraged  her to register and she obliged before everybody went to sleep.

“The following day, when we checked and she was not on her bed, we felt that she had left for the  registration centre. At about 5.45 a.m. when my younger sister was going to work, we found out that  the exit door was not locked from outside.

“Ordinarily, the padlock was supposed to have been locked, but it was hung on the door, meaning  that something happened while she was trying to padlock it,” he added.

Omotayo told P.M.NEWS that all efforts to get her on phone proved abortive as it had been switched  off. After a search party came up with nothing, the matter was reported at the Ipaja Police  Station.

They also went to the registration centre where she was supposed to write down her name and pick a  number for the exercise, but her name was not on the list, an indication that she didn’t get to the  place before the sad incident.

“We checked everywhere, including all the three police stations in Ayobo-Ipaja, including hospitals  but we could not find her. We posted the information on facebook and other social networking sites  and we also visited media houses.

“A female police sergeant, Evelyn Famogbiyele, was assigned to investigate the incident and we  equally involved the SSS and other relevant agencies. On Saturday, at about 12.30 p.m. the  Ipaja-Ayobo Council boss, Prince Bisi Yusuf and a police officer came visiting and told my father  that they had a clue, and I followed them.

“When we got to the mechanic village around Two storey bus-stop, inside Baruwa, we found the corpse  of my sister inside a bush with all vital parts of her body missing. Maggots were even coming out  of her decomposing body. In fact, it was a gory sight,” he told P.M.NEWS.

Omotayo described his late sister  an easy going person.

“She was very friendly, highly reserved and doesn’t keep many friends. She usually stays at home  and in our mother’s shop. If she is not in our mother’s shop, she will be inside the house. If  she’s not reading a novel, she will be reading the bible.

“She was a prayerful individual and we are going to miss her a lot, especially her leadership  qualities as the eldest child of the family. She is a staunch believer too,” he lamented.

A community leader and CDA executive in the area, Alhaji Kareem Bankole who was worried about the  incident said since the area was linked with Ayobo Town, it has been exposed to ritual killers.

“Four months ago, a girl was also killed in similar circumstances and her body tied in a sack and  dumped inside the gutter. We are therefore calling on the appropriate security agencies to come to  our aid,” he said.

Speaking with P.M.NEWS, the chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA, Bisi Yusuf, described the incident as  unfortunate and that his administration is currently working with the police on how to comb the  area and bring the perpetrators to book.

He denied the allegations that corpses are usually found in the mechanic village. “I have not heard  about such before. That has not been reported to me and I don’t want to think it is true. The only  corpse I saw there was this particular one,” he stated.

Reacting to the allegation that the DPO of the Ayobo-Ipaja Police Station urged the residents of  the area to hire OPC, he said, “well I cannot speak for the DPO but if he calls for vigilance I  don’t think there is anything wrong with that, except we want to be hypocritical.” The DPO could  not be contacted at the time of filing this report.

—Jamiu Yisa