By Suleiman Shehu
Criterion, a Muslim women in business and the professions association, Oyo State chapter, has called on the government to ensure security operatives punish perpetrators of rape and murder of two women in Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan.
Assailants on June 1, raped and murdered an 18-year-old girl, Barakat Bello, at her parent’s home while Azeezat Shomuyiwa, a 29-year-old pregnant woman was also murdered on Friday at her residence in Akinyele Local Government Area of the state.
The leadership of Oyo chapter of the association made the call on Sunday while on a condolence visit to the families of Bello at Oloro and Shomuyiwa at Ijefun communities in Akinyele Local Government.
Addressing the families of the victims, Amirah of the Criterion, Oyo District, Alhaja Falilat Olatunji said the rate at which women were being murdered was worrisome and called on government to ensure the perpetrators were brought to book.
“I don’t know how individuals staying in a populated environment could be murdered in broad day light without being arrested.
“The government must ensure that the perpetrators are fished out. They should be able to trace the evil ones behind the cases,” Olatunji said.
The National Vice- President of the Association, Alhaja Medinat Akanni decried rape cases which had become rampant urging government and security agencies in the state to collaborate to ensure that justice prevailed.
“In all ramifications, we say no to rape, there must be an end to it. We encourage our security outfits and other stakeholders to beef up security and save people’s lives, enough is enough,” Akanni said.
Another member of the association, Alhaja Sukura Jimoh, urged the families to take the incidents as acts of God and prayed Allah to count the deceased as inmates of Aljannah Firdaos.
In their separate remarks, the mother of late Bello, Mrs Kafayat Bello, and mother-in-law of late Shomuyiwa, Mrs Oluwatoyin Imam, expressed displeasure over the sudden demise of their daughters and called for justice to serve as deterrent to others. (NAN)