Suspected ritualist attacks LAUTECH female student at home, stabs her in eye, neck, then …
Femi OGUNLANA
It was a narrow escape for a female student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo state, as she was attacked recently at her parent’s home at Olubere area, Aroje-Abaa, along old Ilorin road.
She was left in the pool of her blood with severe injuries in her eye, neck and all over her fragile body; she had been attacked by a sole assailant in their home; he was intent on killing her but a faint sound of a motorcycle saved her.
According to mother of the victim (who however preferred anonymity and also refused to reveal her daughter’s name for safety reasons but willing that people are intimated with the story), the incident happened on February 28, while her daughter (let’s call her Jane) was alone at home. The step-father was out of the town (the biological father died seven days after she was born) while the mother was at work. She is thus the only child.
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Jane who will be 17 years old in May just gained admission to LAUTECH to study English and Literary Arts but on the fateful day, she was all by herself at home, her mother told ogbomosoinsightonline.com.
Narrating the ghastly story story exclusively to Ogbomoso Insight, she said, “My daughter went out to buy browsing data. When she returned she relaxed into a three-seater settee. Then, suddenly the intruder who it was known later gained entry into the house by pulling down a burglar proof burst out of her (Jane’s) room.
“Jane was struck with fear to find an unwanted companion in the house she just left to go outside to buy an item.
“So, she shouted for help but he quickly rushed forward and covered her face with pillow. Then, the thief in a drawl, asked ‘where is your father?’ To which she answered, ‘he is not at home.’ ‘Where is your mother?’ ‘Not home too,’ was the response.
“The thief then asked, ‘What do you have in the house?’ But my daughter said ‘nothing.’ But she added ‘you can call my mother if you need anything.’
“At that juncture, her eyes strayed to a scissors on the centre table (she is into tailoring too). Seeing the scissors, she intuitively feared it might be used to harm her. But their gaze met and suddenly the intruder went for the pairs of scissors, seized it and attacked my daughter with it.
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“He stabbed her in the eyes, then, he thrust the scissors into her neck and started to twist it, with the blade coming out of the other side of the neck. She was losing so much blood. And then, he dragged her out and flung her limp body over the fence.
“He dragged her down towards the next community, Ladokun, they didn’t meet anyone along the way, and now he put her in an uncompleted building. He took a block and smashed it on her, he was going for another block when the hum of a motorcycle stopped him in his track. That was when he ran away. Thank God, though soaked in blood – gushing from her neck and eyes – she managed to call out, ‘help.’
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“The okada rider didn’t want to wait according to her, thinking it was a ruse to rob them but the passenger, a girl, pleaded they see what was happening. That is how my daughter was discovered and rescued.
“She was able to describe our residence and they took her to a neighbour’s house who called me and we were able to take her for medical treatment. We thank God she is responding to treatment.”
Asked if Jane recognized her assailant that it was probably why she was assaulted but she never knew her, fueling speculation it could be a case of ritual. “If he had succeeded in killing her he could have tried to remove some of her body parts. But then, he didn’t seem to carry any weapon for such,” a commentator posited.
The matter was later reported at a police station which was confirmed by a source at the station, however, the perpetrator is still at large as at the time of filing this report.