Rasaq Ibrahim, Ado-Ekiti by There was panic on Wednesday at Ilasa Ekiti in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State where a herdsman killed a lady said to be his girlfriend.

The herdsman, whose name could not be established last night, reportedly chopped off the head of the lady with a machete.

The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, has thrown the community into confusion and fear.

The victim is said to be of the same tribe with the suspected assailant.

She was reportedly attacked near a stream where she had gone to fetch water with her younger sister.

The assailant was said to have ambushed the lady and brought down her head while she bent down to collect some water from the stream and took to his heels.

But he was arrested through the information provided by the younger sister of the deceased who witnessed the scenario.

Information by the residents, including the traditional ruler, the Alasa of Ilasa, Oba Ajayi Omolagba, revealed that the lady had been allegedly handed over to the suspected assailant as a future wife while she was still a teenager, in consonance with their custom and tradition.

But trouble started last month when the suspect allegedly requested the lady to spend the Eid-el-Fitr with him.

The failure of the family of the lady to release her before, during and after the celebration angered the suspect.

He was said to have assumed that the contract had been breached by the family, hence the dastardly act.

Another report said the lady, after growing up, noticed that the “husband” was a drunkard and drug addict, thereby avoiding him for necessary marriage arrangements.

Some relatives of the deceased, who did not want their names mentioned, expressed sadness and shock over the incident.

They said the suspected murderer made a request to spend the Eid-el-Fitr with his wife, adding that the lady was supposed to go to him the next day before he killed her.

Addressing reporters, Oba Ajayi Omolagba condemned the incident, saying the community had been in shock since the incident occurred.

The monarch said the families of the parties and their landlords had been summoned to a meeting where resolutions were reached on how to forestall future occurrence.

He added that the community would also make necessary appeasement to God as such incident was strange and a taboo in the land.

Police spokesman Caleb Ikechukwu said investigation had been launched to unravel the cause of the criminal act while more details would be made available to reporters. (The Nation)

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