Taiwo Sobola, father of a 22-year-old lady, Kabirat, reportedly killed by her boyfriend, tells DAUD OLATUNJI how her missing daughter’s corpse was later found by policemen
Who are you to the deceased?
I am the father of Oyindamola Kabirat Sobola, the girl who was killed in her house in Ogbe, Abeokuta, on February 3, 2023. We are from Abeokuta in Ogun State.
How old was she?
She was 22 years old.
What was her educational qualification?
She had her National Diploma from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic. She was a student of Science Laboratory Technology in the institution. She completed her ND in the year 2021 before she proceeded to work with FOODCO. My daughter was working in FOODCO before her death.
Was she living with you?
No, she wasn’t living with me; she was living alone in an apartment at Ogbe.
Who was she living with?
She was living with her friends in Sokori area before I told her to move to Olorunsogo. So, ever since her stay in Olorunsogo, she had been a good girl, and there was no bad record about her there. She was a gentle and a reserved lady, everybody is aware of this fact. She never liked partying, except when we had family party, and she had only female friends.
How will you describe her?
She was religious; she was always going to church. She was a member of Celestial Church. I always asked about her boyfriend, but she would always tell me she didn’t have any boyfriend. Whenever she was off-duty, she would come home. I’ve never heard any conversation of her with any man before.
Did you see the man who was reported to be responsible for your daughter’s death?
If my child had shown him to me, I would never allow her to date him. I say this because I saw the guy as someone that is not responsible. He looks like a cultist and ‘Yahoo boy’. In fact, her friends confirmed it that he is a yahoo guy; I am very disappointed in my child for following that type of man.
Who rented the apartment for her?
I was aware of the apartment that she rented, and I visited her in the apartment once in a while anytime I came to the area. Also, I always visited her in her workplace.
When last did you see her?
The last time I saw her was on the 26th of January 2023, when we talked about her sister’s fee for WAEC examination. She told me that her sister, Tobi Sobola, had been told to pay her school fee, and I told her that I knew already. Tobi is her younger sister; so, we discussed about the WAEC fee, and she assured me that she would assist me, but I asked her how she would assist me; I asked if she had money? She replied that I shouldn’t worry, and that she would pay half of the money. She said I should pay the remaining half of the money.
The money was N30,000, and I appreciated her. She told me she had collected her salary and I told her that I would send my own half of the payment. I sent the money to her, that was on January 28; I sent my own N15,000 and I called her on January 29 before I left for work. She told me that she had sent the money to her younger sister, and I confirmed that from her younger sister. But on the first of February, I sent a text message to my daughter to wish her happy new month, and she replied. That was the last time I saw her text message.
What was her reply to the text message?
Happy new month, my dad.
How many are your children?
Three; I have three children.
What was your late daughter’s position among your children while she was alive?
She was the first born and first daughter.
How did you get the news of her death?
Although my phone was not reachable on that day, I got the news later when I left my office; that was on Saturday, February 4. On that day, after leaving work, when I got to a place where there was network, I was in a car on an expressway when one of my friends called me and said, ‘Taiwo, where are you?’ The tone was not friendly, and I asked him what happened. Then he said one of Kabirat’s friends, Fola, called him that Kabirat has been missing, and they couldn’t get in touch with her. Fola attended the same school with Kabirat.