The relatives of Abdulazeez Abiodun, a farmer popularly known as Kebe, have appealed for justice after his body was allegedly recovered from a bush in Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State following his disappearance.
His second daughter, Abdulazeez Rofiat, told journalists on Tuesday that the family wants security agencies to uncover those behind the killing. She also appealed to human rights organisations, the media and Nigerians to support their quest for justice.
According to her, the farmer left his home in Isalu on Saturday, July 11, for his cocoa plantation in Owa-Onire, where he worked, but never returned.
After repeated attempts to contact him failed, the family mobilised local hunters and residents to search for him.
“When the hunters got to his farm, they found only his motorcycle parked there. Seeing the motorcycle without my father filled us with fear. We initially believed he might have been kidnapped and waited anxiously, expecting that someone would contact us to demand a ransom. However, no call ever came,” she said.
Rofiat said the search party later discovered his body some distance away from where the motorcycle was found.
“After searching for some time, far away from where his motorcycle had been parked, they made a horrifying discovery. They found my father’s lifeless body in the bush. His two hands had been tied, and he had been brutally killed,” she alleged.
She described the death as a devastating loss, saying her father was a hardworking man devoted to providing for his family.
“The pain of losing my father in such a cruel and heartbreaking manner is something our family cannot put into words. He was more than a father; he was a loving husband, a caring parent, and a hardworking man who left home that morning simply to work on his farm and provide for his family. He never returned home.”
Calling for justice, she urged the authorities to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible.
“We want those responsible for this terrible crime to be identified, arrested, and prosecuted according to the law. My father deserves justice, and our family deserves answers. We will continue to seek justice until those responsible are held accountable,” she said.
She further claimed that although the police recovered her father’s motorcycle from the scene after the incident was reported, the family has not been informed of any progress in the investigation.
“We reported the incident to the Police Division in Isalu-Isin and I learnt that the Police had retrieved the motorcycle from the scene, but we are not hearing anything again concerning it,” she added.
Rofiat appealed to community leaders, civil society organisations, journalists and anyone with useful information to assist investigators in ensuring justice is served.
The Kwara State Police Command had yet to comment on the case as of the time of filing this report.
