Tension gripped Roro village in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State after a cattle rearer reported his son missing. Rumours of an imminent Fulani invasion spread as search efforts intensified, involving police officers, local hunters, and villagers.
The search ended tragically when the boy’s body was discovered in a shallow grave. Community leaders had suggested an oath-taking ritual to reveal the truth within seven days, but before it could take place, a farmer and hunter, identified as Taiwo Amos, confessed.
The widower and father of three admitted to killing the boy on Tuesday, September 2, claiming he was driven by a sudden voice in his head.
“I came back from church and went to check my trap. I saw the boy from a distance and a thought came to me, telling me to go and kill him. He didn’t offend me, and even his cows didn’t eat my crops,” Amos revealed.
The suspect explained that he initially lied to the police but later confessed out of fear of curses from the oath and concern for his children. He added that he buried the victim hastily after cutting his legs to fit him into the shallow grave.
Meanwhile, the Baale of Abule Akin, Chief Fatai Akande Adebayo, disclosed that he resorted to consulting Sango, the god of thunder, after hunters failed repeatedly to trace the culprit. The suspect confessed that same night.
Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo assured residents that calm had returned, confirming that the suspect was in custody, and the weapons used—a dane gun and cutlass—had been recovered.
“The shallow grave was found, the boy’s corpse exhumed and properly buried. The situation is calm, and there’s no cause for alarm,” the commissioner said, urging residents to avoid jungle justice and follow lawful channels.
This incident recalls a similar 2020 case in Odeda LGA, where a farmer and his son hacked a herder to death after accusing him of grazing on their land.
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