An 18-year-old girl, Habibat Akinsanya, who had been reported missing, was tragically found dead on her father’s farm in Obasa, Mile 6, along Ajebo Road in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.
PUNCH Online learned that her body was discovered on Sunday with multiple machete wounds on her head and other parts of her body, and her hands bound behind her back. According to reliable police sources, Habibat was sexually assaulted before being brutally murdered.
A police source, speaking anonymously due to not being authorized to comment on behalf of the state command, suggested that the murder might have been a revenge attack on the family, though no further details were provided when asked if the crime was cult-related.
Habibat’s father, Shamsuddeen Akinsanya, had reported her missing to the Kemta Police Division on August 31, 2024. The day before, she had left her father’s house to assist her sister, who runs a Point of Sale business in the Kemta area. It was reported that a man named Onyeka, who had previously worked for the father, approached Habibat and told her that her mother needed her at the farm to help with the cassava harvest.
When Habibat’s sister realized that she was neither at the shop nor at home, the family became concerned and reported her disappearance to the police. According to a police source, the investigation revealed that Habibat was not kidnapped in the traditional sense but was lured to the farm under false pretenses, where she was restrained, raped, and murdered.
Shamsuddeen reportedly received a suspicious phone call demanding money, leading the police to track the number to Oke Egunya, Totoro. However, after an extensive search, they were unable to locate the suspect. It was only later that they received news of Habibat’s body being discovered on her father’s farm.
Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, confirmed on Monday that an investigation has been launched to uncover the circumstances surrounding the murder. A manhunt is also underway to apprehend Onyeka, who is currently at large. Odutola explained that in missing person cases, the police typically advise waiting 24 to 48 hours before filing a report, as many people return within that time. However, in this case, a discreet investigation has already been initiated to bring the perpetrator to justice.
