A 23-year-old man has been taken into custody following the gruesome killing and beheading of a six-year-old girl, identified as Mutiyatu Sunday, in the Adigun Village area of Olorunda Ogunsola, Ibadan.

The Oyo State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement released on Sunday by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ayanlade Olayinka. According to the police, the tragic event occurred on Saturday.

Upon receiving reports that a young girl had been unlawfully killed and her severed head found in the suspect’s possession, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abimbola Olugbenga, dispatched operatives to the scene.

The police faced “stiff resistance” from an irate mob attempting to carry out extrajudicial killing. However, officers successfully rescued the suspect and secured the severed head as evidence.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, aged 23, allegedly unlawfully killed a six-year-old girl and severed her head, which was recovered from him,” DSP Olayinka stated.

The suspect is currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed facility for injuries sustained during the mob attack. Once stabilized, he will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation and subsequent prosecution.

Commissioner Olugbenga however, issued a stern warning to residents of the State against participating in jungle justice. He emphasised that such actions obstruct thorough investigations by destroying evidence or silencing suspects and also truncate the course of justice, making it harder for the victim’s family to receive closure through the law.

The Commissioner reassured the public that the Command is committed to ensuring justice for young Mutiyatu Sunday. He urged residents to remain law-abiding and to report suspicious activities to the nearest police station rather than taking the law into their own hands.