Shock and horror have gripped Ondo State following two separate but deeply disturbing incidents — a lover stabbed to death in Okitipupa and a decomposing body of a missing POS operator found in Akungba amidst suspected ritual items.
Augustina Mowarin, 24, allegedly stabbed her live-in partner, Michael Ikuedowoni, during a violent altercation over suspicions of cheating. According to Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, the quarrel escalated on Sunday, July 28, when Mowarin reportedly attacked Michael with a pair of scissors, piercing a major artery in his leg.
Michael was rushed to a nearby private hospital but later died from complications arising from the wound. Police intervened promptly to prevent angry residents from lynching the suspect, relocating her from Irele Division to the State CID in Akure for interrogation and safety.
Meanwhile, in a separate and equally chilling discovery, the corpse of 26-year-old Busayo Joy, a graduate and point-of-sale operator, was found in a padlocked room in the Medoline area of Akungba-Akoko. Joy had been declared missing after failing to return N750,000 in sales to her employer on July 25.
Officers forced their way into the apartment after neighbors complained of a foul stench. Her body, already decomposing, was discovered alongside black soap, cowries, and other ritual items — sparking fears of a possible money ritual setup. Her boyfriend, now declared wanted, is the prime suspect in what the police are treating as a potential ritual-related homicide.
CP Lawal said both cases are being aggressively investigated and assured residents that no suspect involved in either case would escape justice. Autopsies are underway, and manhunts have been launched for all suspects still at large.
Residents of both communities are reeling from the twin tragedies, demanding justice and heightened security measures to deter gender-based violence and ritual-related killings that seem to be resurging in the state.
