The body of the 12-year-old who had been missing, John Soyinka, was reportedly discovered in Kotogbo community within Asero Estate, Abeokuta, on Monday. Shockingly, certain parts of his body were found missing.
Reports gathered on Wednesday revealed that Soyinka had been reported missing approximately a week earlier, and the incident had been brought to the attention of the Obantoko Police Station in Abeokuta.
According to a resident in the area who preferred anonymity, the schoolboy went missing after attempting to follow up on a customer who had previously conducted a PoS transaction at a shop where the deceased frequently assisted.
The source said, “I know the boy very well, he is about 12 years old and he lived with his mother who I guessed is no longer with her husband. His mother is into menial jobs like helping people to sweep and the rest.
“The boy too was going to school but I also usually see him at a business center where they do PoS operations and barbing, I think he must be assisting them there.
“What we heard was that last week Thursday, he said he wanted to check on a customer who did a PoS transaction, apparently there was something to sort out about the transaction but the boy never came back.
“The boy and his mother lived at the Olasunkanmi community and so the Community Development Association reported the matter to the Divisional Police Officer at Obantoko Station.
“The DPO informed the police at Adigbe and Lafenwa but it was the boy’s corpse that was found at Kotogbo community just beside Olasunkanmi on Monday. The two communities are inside Asero Estate, Abeokuta. It is suspected to be a case of ritual killing because the boy’s eyes were plucked while his wrists were also cut off. It’s an incident that has thrown residents into mourning.”
When contacted for a response, SP Omolola Odutola, the spokesperson for the state police command, mentioned that she would verify the details and revert to the correspondent.
