Herdsman beheads girlfriend in Ekiti

Gbenga Sodeinde, Ado Ekiti

It was indeed a gory sight to behold in Ilasa Ekiti, Ekiti East Local government as a young herdsman name withheld was alleged to have beheaded a young lady.

The incident which occurred on Tuesday has thrown the whole community into confusion.

The victim who is also of the same tribe with the suspected assailant was attacked beside a stream where she had gone to fetch water with her younger sister.

The assailant was said to have ambushed the lady and attacked her with a machete while she was collecting some water from the stream and took to his heels, but was later arrested through the information provided by the younger sister of the deceased.

Reports by notable personalities in the community, including the traditional ruler of the community, the Alasa of Ilasa, Oba Ajayi Omolagba revealed that the young lady had allegedly been handed over to the suspected assailant as a future wife while she was still a teenager in line with their custom and tradition.

However, trouble started last month when the suspect requested the lady to spend the Eld-el-Fitr with him.

The failure of the family of the lady to release her before, during and after the celebration angered the suspect who assumed the contract had been breached by the family, hence the deadly attack.

Another report says the lady after growing up observed that the supposed husband was a drunkard and drug addict.

Relatives of the deceased confirmed that the suspected murderer requested to spend the Eld-el-Fitr with his wife, adding that the lady was supposed to go to him the next day before he killed her.

Speaking with newsmen the Alasa of Ilasa Oba Ajayi Omolagba condemned the incident and said the community had been in shock since the incident occurred.

He said he had summoned the families of all parties involved and their landlords to a meeting where resolutions were reached on how to forestall future occurrence.

When contacted, the Ekiti state Police Public Relations Officer, Caleb Ikechukwu confirmed the incident and said investigation has been launched to unravel the cause of the act while more details would be made available to newsmen.