Residents of Obantoko, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, were left in shock and tension following the brutal murder of a 39-year-old barber, Toheeb Folarin, on Tuesday.

It was gathered from the state police command on Thursday that the incident occurred at about 10 pm on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old victim was shot inside his barbershop when suspected cultists stormed the premises around 10 PM.

The command?s spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, told our correspondent that the victim was found inside his workshop with a gunshot wound to the left chest and his left wrist severed, lying in a pool of blood.

She explained that the gruesome nature of the crime escalated tensions in the area, necessitating the intervention of security personnel to restore order.

The command?s spokesperson added that normalcy had been restored and investigations into the murder were ongoing.

Odutola said, ?The tragic incident occurred on January 7, 2025, at approximately 10:10 PM. The police station received information about the crime through members of the public, specifically from Jimoh Afolabi, a community leader, and Omotosho Basiru, a relative of the deceased.

?Upon receiving the report, a team of detectives led by Divisional Police Officer CSP Akindipe Michael, alongside a joint patrol team from the Adatan Area Command and the Anti-Cultism Unit, swiftly visited the crime scene.?

She noted that efforts made by the police to move the corpse to the mortuary were resisted by a group of about 300 agitated youths, who insisted on burying the victim according to Islamic rites on the second day.

She added that the victim?s family had also submitted a letter of withdrawal from further police investigations, promising to support their claim with an affidavit.

Odutola said the command was determined to apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous crime, urging residents to provide any useful information that could help in bringing the suspects to justice.

On August 7, 2024, PUNCH Metro reported a similar incident involving a barber named Femi Adeshina, who was fatally stabbed on Isale Oja Road in the Kuto area of Ogun State. (Text, excluding headline: The PUNCH)

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