Mutilated body of a toddler found in Ibadan

According to Punch, the body of a two-year-old girl was found on Tuesday at the Olodo area of Ibadan with some parts of her body missing.

It was learnt that residents of the area found the decomposing body about midday with no clue to her identity or how she got to the scene. The residents reportedly alerted the police immediately.

The baby’s left leg had been cut off from the knee, while some of the toes on the right leg were missing.

The body was also said to have been found without one of her hands, while a large chunk of flesh from her lap area, was also cut off.

Residents said that they were not ruling out ritual motive for the act. They also described the development as strange, saying they had enjoyed a peaceful and a crime-free environment before now.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, Olabisi Ilobanafor, told PUNCH Metro that the body had been evacuated, adding that investigation was ongoing to arrest perpetrators of the “dastardly” act.

She said, “We were alerted by the residents of the area on the finding of a toddler’s body and we responded immediately. We have yet to get to the root of the incident or know the identity of the corpse or how it got to that place.

“That is why we are calling on anyone with any information relating to the mutilation and dumping of the girl’s corpse to come forward. We promise to protect the identity of the informant. The local government authority in the area was alerted by the police and the body was promptly removed from the scene.”

Ilobanafor also said reports of missing persons were on the increase, adding that while some of the missing persons had been found, others were still being investigated.

“We have cases of missing persons but we have yet to find any link to the recent discovery as no one has come out to claim knowing the toddler,” she said.