Residents of Okitipupa in Ondo state have been plunged into mourning after three children were reportedly killed in a violent domestic attack by a suspected mentally unstable relative.
The victims were said to be members of the same extended family and were allegedly hacked to death with a machete inside their residence under strange circumstances that have left the community in deep shock.
Among those killed was a female student enrolled for the Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board programme, her cousin, and another young boy identified as the biological son of the suspected assailant.
Preliminary accounts from residents indicate that the suspect, a male relative believed to be mentally unstable, carried out the attack earlier in the day before fleeing the scene.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the incident as horrifying, adding that the victims were closely related within the same family lineage.
He said: “The victims include a JUPEB student and two young boys. One of them is the attacker’s son, while the others are members of the extended family. It is a devastating loss.”
Further findings revealed that the family head, identified as Baba Agbaye, had earlier left home alongside his wife and youngest child for their oil farm.
Sources said that while returning, they encountered the suspect heading towards the Ayeka area, claiming he was coming from the family house, unaware that the killings had already been carried out.
The remains of the victims have been deposited at the State Specialist Hospital, while authorities are expected to commence full investigation into the incident.
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