by Isi Esene

Tolu Esuola, a 21-year-old lady was recently found tied to a bed and burnt to death in Oyo Town, Oyo State. Speaking on the incident, Mrs. Juliana Esuola, Tolu’s mother, said she suspects Tolu’s former love interest simply known as Kunle, who was said to have been seen by neighbours in the vicinity of the house on the fateful day.

The bereaved mother on Thursday explained the reason for her suspicion to newsmen saying, “Some of our neighbours told me they saw Kunle in our house that day. Juliana said Kunle had impregnated her daughter but terminated it, resulting in a frosty relationship between the duo.”

She narrated the genesis of the unfortunate series of events saying:

“Kunle was like our son. My husband took him in about four years ago after we converted him from Islam to Christianity. He began going to church with us.

“We did everything for him as if he was our son. I was shocked when I was told that he had impregnated her.”

She further narrated her story saying Kunle was finally sent packing from their house when he proceeded to physically assault their daughter over matters of infidelity leveled against Kunle by Tolu.

A neighbour of the Esuola family, intMr. David Oshotolu, said he was with the deceased a day before the unfortunate incident when Kunle called to intimate her of his impending visit the next day.

He said, “We were alerted to a fire at the house and firefighters were called. When we realised that she had died in the fire, my mind went straight to Kunle. I knew he had said he was coming that day.”

He said his suspicion was further fueled when Kunle refused to give his exact location when he was called after the fire incident.

According to Oshotolu, the suspect of this horrific crime first said he was in Minna, Niger State, and later told others that he was present in Lagos as at the time of the incident.

According to the Punch Metro, Oshotolu said he saw that the ankle and the wrist of the corpse were tied with cable wire when the dead body was being carried away.

“The wire had melted. We were all shocked. There was no sign that she moved from the bed. She could have been killed before the fire,” Oshotolu postulated.

Mr. Tambari Muhammed, the Oyo State commissioner of Police, said that the police is still in the process of conducting a thorough investigation on the case.