- lynched in retaliation by angry mob
By John Dike, Osogbo
The peace of Oba Ile, an agrarian community in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State, was shattered on Tuesday night, as a suspected hard drug addict hacked three innocent children to death inside their family house.
It happened about 8:05 p.m. in Ese Ola Compound of the tightly-knit community, where doors are rarely locked, and neighbours greet one another by name.
The unlucky children were sleeping when horror visited and a dark shadow fell instantly over the whole community, and thus threw the whole council area into morning.
Retroactively, after unleashing one of the most inexplicable, horrifying act of savagery, an enraged mob descended on the seemingly insane man and hacked him to death in return.
More saddening is the fact that the horror was unleashed in a matter of minutes by a man many had once pitied, but none had truly feared until it was too late.
It was learnt that the suspect, simply identified as Sodiq Eniola, was a known face in the community. He reportedly battled a long history of drug abuse and mental instability.
On this ill-fated evening, he reportedly emerged from the shadows of the dusty street, barefoot, eyes bloodshot, and wielding a gleaming machete.
According to some residents, his gait was unsteady, his breathing labored, and his silence ominous.
Also, some eyewitnesses said Eniola walked past several homes without saying a word.
Some thought he was high as usual and suspected no evil. But something about his demeanor that night unsettled those who noticed.
An eyewitness, Azeezat Bello, a neighbor who watched him from her verandah, said:
“He didn’t greet. He didn’t look around. He just kept walking fast, like a man chasing something invisible,”
“I had a bad feeling, but I never imagined what was about to happen.
“Without a knock, Eniola walked into the small family shop of Mrs. Bamidele, located within the compound.
“Inside, the woman’s three young children, exhausted after the day’s hustle, were asleep on a mat laid across the floor.”
The youngest of the children, neighbors later recalled, had just turned three.
Within seconds, the air was filled with screams, blood-curdling, desperate cries that would haunt the compound for years to come.
Also, Mr. Ganiyu Bamidele, the father, who had just stepped out to greet a friend across the street, ran toward the house as neighbors began converging.
“I heard my wife’s voice. She was screaming, ‘He’s killing them! He’s killing my children!’”
Mr. Bamidele sobbed during an emotional interview with journalists explaining,. “I ran. I ran so fast, but by the time I got inside, it was too late.
“He had butchered my babies like animals. There was blood everywhere.”
The children lay motionless in pools of their own blood, their small bodies bearing deep machete wounds too gruesome to describe.
The horrofying situation quickly spread across the neighborhood like wildfire.
People dropped everything – meals, conversations, prayers – and rushed to the scene.
Some came with sticks, others with stones, and a few with pure rage in their eyes.
Eniola, still clutching his blood-soaked weapon, was cornered as he attempted to flee the compound. But the angry mob and a crowd of residents descended on him with an uncontrollable fury.
It was gathered that by the time the police arrived minutes later, the attacker had been beaten to a pulp.
Police detectives from the Oba-Ile Division attempted to rescue the suspect, but their intervention came too late.
He died while being rushed to the hospital, his body battered beyond recognition.
When contacted, Osun State Police Command spokesman, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the incident.
He said, “Yes, it’s a very unfortunate and disturbing case.
“The suspect, Sodiq Eniola, was confirmed dead while being taken to the hospital after a mob attack.
“Preliminary investigations suggest he may have been under the influence of substances at the time of the incident”.
Ojelabi added that a full investigation has commenced to determine the exact motive and whether the suspect acted alone or had accomplices.
“We urge the public to remain calm and allow us to conduct our inquiries. No one has the right to take the law into their own hands, no matter how tragic the situation.”
Back in Oba-Ile, the mood remains heavy. Tears flowed freely as sympathizers gathered around the Bamidele residence. Wailing women hugged the grieving mother. Men stood in silence, fists clenched in anger. Some wept openly.
Community leaders and clerics visited the home to offer prayers and comfort.
Imam Suleiman Adebayo of the central mosque described the killings as “demonic.”
He said, “This is not just a crime; it’s an abomination. We pray for the souls of these innocent children, and we urge the government to wake up. Drug addiction is killing our people.”
Many residents pointed fingers at systemic failure. They lamented the lack of effective drug rehabilitation centers, poor mental health services, and the increasing accessibility of hard substances among youths in the area.
“We knew Sodiq had issues. We even reported him to local authorities once,” said an elderly neighbor, Baba Kareem. “But nothing was done. Now, three children are dead. Their blood is on all our hands.”
As of press time, the bodies of the slain children had been deposited at a government mortuary, and funeral arrangements are pending.
The Bamidele family has received temporary relocation support from community members as psychological counselors and religious leaders attempt to console them.
Mrs. Bamidele, the mother, is said to be in shock and under close observation.
“She hasn’t spoken a word since the attack,” a close relative revealed. “She just stares into space. She lost all her children in one night. One night.”
This tragedy calls for more than just mourning. It calls for urgent reforms —on drug policy, on mental health care, and on neighborhood-level vigilance.
Until something changes, Oba-Ile may not be the last community to witness such horror.
