There was perplexity among residents of Okelele area of Ilorin following the sudden murder of an intending hajj pilgrim, Abdulrafiu Alade Aloba and discovery of his body at the Moro river bank in Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State on Monday, we can report.
The victim who hails from Aloba compound in the area but concurrently travels to Mandala village was said to have stormed Ilorin on Friday for the 2017 hajj registration but was allegedly lured by some friends suspected to be responsible for his death on Saturday.
According to reports, the victim was clubbed to death. When his body was eventually found at the river bank on Monday, flies were sighted feeding on his lifeless body.
Ever since Aloba’s body was discovered, the question on the lips of his family and neighbours has been, who could have carried out the dastardly act? We learnt that, the deceased was first declared missing on Saturday and all efforts to locate him proved abortive including a check at the Oloje Police station.
Speaking, the wife of the departed, Taye Abdulrafiu Aloba said the incident came as a rude shock to her.
“My husband arrived from the village around 11pm last Friday for hajj registration and the following day he left home for the hajj camp around 6:30am. “When it was 9:30 am, I put a call through to him, I was informed the programme has started and he later returned my call around 3:30pm, saying he was done with the exercise.
He then asked me about the message I was asked to deliver to his sister at Dada area of Okelele which I informed him I am yet to attend to and he told me to forget about it that he will visit her himself. ”
Mrs Aloba further stated that the deceased returned to her shop at Okolowo around 6:30pm adding that his friend, Alhaji Ibraheem Ogala, a native doctor dropped him at Oloje after which he entered a bus to Okolowo.
“He was telling me about the registration exercise before asking to go and repair his radio following directive that all intending hajj pilgrims should be listening to the radio for further information.
“My husband told me he will take the radio to the village with him. Suddenly, he received a call from his handset and made mention of one Dubudubu whose real name is Moshood from Iyere Compound.
Since then the whole family has not sighted my husband and we have been looking for him until I was informed that his lifeless body had been found somewhere.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi told our reporter that he is not aware of the incident, adding that he will confirm from that police station and get back to us.
As at the time of filing this report, no message or call was received from the PPRO in that regard. Several calls put to him and text messages sent to him were not responded to either.
