Suspected armed bandits have killed two teenage girls identified as Ajuma Simon, 17, and Omojo Shuaibu, 18, in an ambush in Kogi State.
The tragic incident occurred in Okekwu village near Ogbogbo in Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area, Tribuneonline reports.
The victims were returning from a local market—Ega market—around 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening when they were attacked while trekking along a bush path leading to their village. The ambush occurred approximately 2km from Okekwu village.
An eyewitness, Yahaya Edibo, who narrated the incident, said, “Those who heard the victims shouting and calling for help during the attack responded too late. By the time they arrived at the scene, the victims had already been dismembered.”
“As at the time we got to the scene, one of the girls was still breathing. She told us that the armed men came with the intention to rape them. They tried to escape, but the assailants, armed with machetes, chased them down and butchered them beyond recognition.
According to community sources, local security operatives and youths mobilized to the scene of the attack and evacuated the bodies on Thursday morning.
Their remains have been deposited at a morgue in Idah, located in Idah Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Police Command has deployed personnel to the village to prevent a breakdown of law and order following the gruesome murder by armed bandits in Kogi State.
The Igalamela chapter of the Ukomu Igala socio-cultural organization has expressed deep concern over the increasing activities of armed criminals in the community. The group called on the state government to urgently provide adequate security to safeguard lives and property.
