A 36-year-old Togolese, Noukounou Daniel, has been gruesomely murdered by suspected land grabbers (Omo Onile) in Ogun State.
TheNigerian Metro learnt on Monday that the tragic incident occurred on Wednesday, November 27, at Atan, Sokoto Road, Ologuede Area, Ogun State.
A close friend of the victim, Peter John, told our correspondent that Daniel had visited the plot of land in preparation for his building project, which he planned to start the next day.
After completing some tasks on the land, Daniel told his wife that he would return home soon.
However, shortly after, he said he was attacked by the land grabbers following a dispute and was brutally hacked to death with machetes.
He noted that the community alerted the police, who later retrieved the victim’s body and took it to the Atan Police Station.
“They macheted him beyond recognition so much that they could not put his corpse at the mortuary but took him for burial. The people who killed him went away with his phone and motorbike,” John stated.
He added that Daniel’s family had since relocated to the Benin Republic for safety.
John also revealed that the presence of land grabbers in the area had been a recurring problem, with many people facing similar threats.
The victim’s elder brother, Noukounou Friday, explained to our correspondent that Daniel, a father of three and an artisan specialiasing in the Plaster of Paris, left home to attend to some business but never returned.
The family grew concerned and reported him missing to the police. The following day, they received a call to identify his body at the police station.
“We were surprised to see that he had been killed. We don’t know who did this wicked act and why they had to go this far,” he added.
In response to the killing, the Togolese diaspora in Nigeria called for an investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators.
In a letter to the Atan Ota Divisional Police, the High Council of Togolese Abroad condemned the murder and urged the authorities to bring the criminals to justice.
The letter highlighted the strong diplomatic ties between Nigeria and Togo and stressed the need for the case to be properly handled.
The letter read in part, “In view of the good age-long bilateral relations between our two countries, the High Council of Togolese Abroad representing Togolese diaspora in Nigeria, strongly condemns this cruel act and kindly craves your attention to investigate the case to bring the perpetrators to book.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, in a WhatsApp message, said she was unaware of the incident.
“I am not aware of the incident,” she tersely stated in the message.
