The Angwan Kari community in the Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State is in a state of mourning after the brutal killing of Mr. Williams Wasiu Jimoh and his wife, Mrs. Banke William Jimoh, by unidentified attackers in their home.
According to reports, the couple was tragically killed when the assailants broke into their residence at midnight on Sunday, April 6.
In a conversation with our reporter, Pastor Lee Ngbede, the Keffi Zonal Coordinator of the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS), shared details about the harrowing incident.
“Brother and Sister Jimoh were committed members of the FCS here in Keffi. The situation surrounding their gruesome death remains a shock to the entire Christian body in Keffi and the state,” he said.
According to Ngbede, a family friend of the Jimohs received a call from Mrs. Jimoh’s father, who expressed concern after repeated calls to the couple went unanswered. This prompted a visit to their residence.
A colleague of Mr Jimoh who visited the apartment noticed that the doors were locked. On peeking through a back window, he perceived a foul smell and saw flies around, which raised suspicion. He quickly alerted the police.
When the police forced open the door, they found Mrs Jimoh’s lifeless body on the bed with her legs apart and hands on her head, a posture suspected to suggest rape. Her body was already decomposing.
Her husband was discovered near one of the doors with his hands tied and multiple machete cuts to his head, indicating he may have been trying to escape. He was unconscious but still alive at the time and was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Keffi.
An eyewitness who spoke with our correspondent described the attack as a premeditated act, pointing to the isolated location of the couple’s home and the nature of the injuries inflicted.
“The police said from all indications, the woman was raped to death. After that, her neck was also slashed, and it was practically dangling,” the eyewitness claimed.
Some neighbours suggested that the crime may have been committed by suspected Fulani herders, alleging a recent disagreement between them and the deceased woman. Other residents who examined the wounds described the cuts as consistent with previous attacks carried out by herders in the area.
Mrs Jimoh, who had no children, was buried on Thursday, April 10, with her body wrapped in cloth due to the advanced state of decomposition and the posture she was found in.
Mr Jimoh, who remained unconscious at the hospital, later died from his injuries. He is scheduled to be buried on Wednesday, April 16.