The suspect in handcuffs was said to have escaped from Mokola Police Division where he was being held since he was arrested.
The escape of a notorious serial killer in the Akinyele area of Ibadan, Oyo State, Shodipe Sunday, from police custody has sent shivers down the spines of residents of the area, who say they now live in fear of a possible attack by the fugitive.
The suspect in handcuffs was said to have escaped from Mokola Police Division where he was being held since he was arrested.
A resident, Mukaila Afeez, who spoke with SaharaReporters, said, “We don't have rest of mind in the entire community because the suspect can sneak into any house at any time. We can't leave our children at home again. Just a few days after he escaped from the police, he killed another woman.
“We even gathered that he can disappear anytime he feels like.
“For that calibre of the suspect to escape from police custody is an indication that he has accomplices in the police who must have helped him to escape. It is clear that he cannot escape on his own without the knowledge of some officers.”
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Father of Barakat, one of the ladies killed by the suspect, Kazeem Bello, said people in the area now go to bed at night with fear in their minds, afraid of who could be the next victim.
Bello said, “We are appealing to the government to come to our aid in Akinyele Local Government Area because the situation is now critical.
“Either in the afternoon or night, we are not safe again. Police cannot protect us any longer. How a suspect escaped with handcuffs in his hand baffles us. I think police have many questions to answer on this matter.”
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Following the disappearance of the suspect, the traditional ruler of the community, Alakinyele of Akinyele, has directed local vigilantes to go after the suspect.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters gathered that one police inspector on duty at the time of the suspect’s escape, has been arrested and is now facing an orderly room trial.
The police officer whose identity had not been revealed, allegedly collected the keys to the cell and opened it to take the suspect to have his bath before he escaped.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Joe Nwachukwu Enwonwu, confirmed this while speaking with journalists on Monday in Ibadan, revealing that the room trial of the police inspector would be concluded on Tuesday (today).