By Taiwo Jimoh

A 70-year-old woman, identified simply as Mrs. Egunjobi, a London returnee, has allegedly been raped to death by a 33-year-old Dare Garuba.

The incident occurred in Egunjobi’s shop at Mowe in Ofada-Mokolokin Local Council Development Area of Ogun State.

Witnesses told our correspondent yesterday that the woman had taken two bottles of Alomo gin and became intoxicated.

When she started misbehaving, the suspect reportedly offered to lead her home so that she would not be injured.

However, when Garuba led Egunjobi into her shop, he decided to take advantage of her. The incident, which occurred about 11p.m. on Sunday, forced some of the traders in the area to shut down their shops yesterday when the news of her death filtered into town.

It was learnt that the suspect was the only one who approached Egunjobi and called the attention of some of the residents to the woman.

The Coordinator of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) in the area, Mr. Bamidele Ayeyemi, said they were outside about 11p.m. when a Hausa man, who went to defecate in a nearby bush close to the woman’s shop, discovered that her shop opened. According to Ayeyemi, the man raised the alarm, thinking that armed robbers had broken into the shop.

He said: “Some of my boys and I, immediately we heard the man shouting thief, thief, we called for reinforcement and went round the market.

“Unfortunately, when we moved closed to the woman’s shop, the suspect opened the door and bolted. “When the suspect was trying to escape from the scene, one of us was able to identify him as Dare. That was how we started searching for him in the community.”

The body inside the shop Gov. Umahi Another resident, who identified himself simply as Balogun, said after the remains of the woman had been taken care of; they went to report the incident to the head of the community and policemen at Mowe Division.

He said: “What surprised us was that it was the same suspect who promised to take care of the woman so as not to sustain injuries that later took advantage of her.

“We searched the community for about four hours before we finally apprehended him in the ceiling of an uncompleted building where he was hiding.

We then handed him over to the police for appropriate action.” It was learnt that Garuba was still making love to the woman without knowing that she had died.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mowe Police Division, was said to be at the scene of the incident with the woman’s husband. But the widower refused to comment on his wife’s death.

Garuba’s mother, Mrs. Jumoke Musa, said she was fed up with the attitude of her son. She said: “I have done everything to prevent him from becoming a hoodlum. I left him with his father’s family after his father’s death because I have remarried and I did not want to endure his way of life.

“Even while staying with me in my present place, I have bailed him countless times for different offences he has committed in the community.”

When our correspondent visited the area yesterday, the victim’s body was in her shop, covered with a piece of cloth.

Newtelegraphonline