Tragedy struck in Oba-Ile in Olorunda local government area of Osun State when a suspected drug addict, 30-year-old Sodiq Eniola, murdered three siblings at bedtime.
The horror generated by the devastating, ugly scenario has left the community in grief and regret over a lackadaisical attitude to respond promptly to the strange behaviour of a deranged youth.
Despite police intervention, the spontaneous mob attack on Sodiq also led to his death while he was being carried to the hospital for medical attention after the police rescued him.
It was gathered that the young siblings were killed in their family’s compound by the deceased, who was alleged to be a drug addict battling mental instability.
Sodiq Eniola, described by neighbours as a disturbed youth, it was gathered that he stormed the house of Mr. Ganiyu Bamidele on the fateful day, headed straight for a shop operated by his wife, Mrs Bamidele, the mother of the children and macheted to death the unsuspecting minors in their sleep.
The father of the victims, Mr. Bamidele, told reporters that the killings happened so fast that he could not do anything to stop them.
He said: “He didn’t speak to anyone. He just came in and started cutting them with a machete. By the time we realised what was going on, my children were already gone.”
The visibly broken father, in tears, said emphatically that the killings happened in the twinkle of an eye, and that there was nothing he could do.
Subsequently, the suspect was immediately surrounded by a mob, who descended on him heavily before police from the Oba-Ile Division arrived at the scene.
Though the officers attempted to rescue and rush him to a hospital, he died on the way from injuries sustained during the attack. The bodies of the victims were said to have been deposited in a morgue.
The public relations officer of the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect died en route to the hospital after being severely beaten. He added that police had commenced an investigation into the incident.
“This case is particularly heartbreaking. Preliminary reports suggest that the attacker may have been under the influence of drugs. We are probing further to understand the full circumstances,” Ojelabi said.
The death of the innocent kids in cold blood has thrown up fresh concerns over the growing threats posed by drug abuse and untreated mental illness in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, community leaders and religious groups in Oba-Ile have begun mobilising support for the bereaved family and engaging the state government on stronger community health and security policies.
A concerned Nigerian, Abike Oke, lamented that similar cases of unpredictable behaviour among youths with drug problems have gone unaddressed, warning that more lives could be lost if the government fails to act.
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