Man Found Murdered In His Mum’s Kitchen In Okitipupa, Ondo State

Ondo State Police officials in Okitipupa are currently working tirelessly to unravel the mystery surrounding the alleged suicide death of a 20-year-old man found murdered in his mother‘s kitchen.

The police want to determine whether the boy, Wale Lijoka, committed suicide or was murdered.

Lijoka was on Wednesday found in a room at 2, Olanusi Avenue, an enclosure between Okeloro and Lebi Streets in Okitipupa.

The body of the deceased was found dangling from the ceiling of the dark small room believed to be his mother’s kitchen.

Sympathisers and neighbours, who went to the scene of the incident, could only see the body through a small window because the entrance to the room was under lock and key.

Mrs. Moyin Lijoka, the mother of the deceased, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the deceased could not have hanged himself, adding that his death was a conspiracy of friends he had misunderstanding with.

She said that the boy, who was an aluminum construction apprentice in Lagos, came to Okitipupa on 18 August to visit her.

“I called him on Tuesday evening to follow me to the church for prayers but he refused, only for me to wake up this morning and find his corpse in my kitchen.

“He cannot kill himself; I believe some assailants killed him and hanged him in my kitchen just to cover-up because his legs were not far from the ground.

“I have called his father who is a police officer in Ilorin.

“He said he did not want to have any issue with the boy’s death, that we should do what pleases us,” Lijoka said.

Meanwhile, a sympathiser who preferred to be addressed simply as Mrs. Ajoke also corroborated the boy’s mother’s claim that the boy could not have killed himself.

Ajoke, who described the scene as gory, also said the deceased was a “rascal” and “street fighter” before he was sent to Lagos for apprenticeship.

“I saw him when he came on 18 August but I did not know if he had a quarrel with anyone.

“From what I observed, his body might have been dumped here and made to look like suicide,” Ajoke said.

The Divisional Police Officer for Okitipupa, CSP Ifeanyi Ohuruzor, confirmed the incident, saying the incident had been reported to his office.

“My officers were at the scene of the incident this morning but we are still investigating what was the exact cause of the suicide,” he said.

Ohuruzor added that the corpse would have been removed but he learnt that a certain ritual must be performed according to the tradition of the land.