shock and grief have gripped Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State after two teenage girls, identified as Ajuma Simon and Omojo Shuaibu, were gruesomely murdered while returning from a local market.
The tragic incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Wednesday as the victims walked along a bush path leading to their village.
Residents reported hearing screams for help during the attack but arrived too late.
“They only came to the scene to meet the victims already dismembered. As at the time we got to the scene, one of the victims was still breathing. She told us that the armed men came with the intention to rape or kidnap them,” a witness recounted.
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According to locals, the girls attempted to escape but were chased for nearly 300 meters before being caught and brutally attacked.
“I know the girls; one of them, Omojo Shuaibu, was my ex-student at the UEC Secondary School Ogbogbo. Very brilliant and dedicated; she was the assistant head girl,” said Yahaya Edibo, a teacher in the community.
On Thursday, local vigilantes and youths evacuated the bodies to a morgue in Idah Local Government Area.
The Igalamela chapter of the Ukomu Igala socio-cultural organization expressed alarm over increasing attacks by armed men in the area, calling on the state government for urgent intervention.
Confirming the incident, Kogi Police Command’s spokesperson, SP William Aya, said police operatives have been deployed to the community to investigate the killings.