By Gbenga Afolabi, Akure
Easter Day celebration turned soar for the people of Ipele, Owo, in Ondo State following the killing of a couple and their two children.
Our correspondent gathered that the slain couple recently converted to Christianity from Islam.
However, it was gathered that this did not go down well with some of the extremists in the area, who started issuing threats to them, asking that they should vacate the community.
A community leader, Pa Isaac Akinfenwa told our correspondent that the man, Abbulrahman Hakeem, did not take the threats seriously.
“He used to be an Islamic teacher; however, he converted to Christianity and started preaching to some of the Muslims in the area.
“This infuriated the extremists among them and they asked him to leave the community.
“After reporting the matter to the police, they did not act. He also said he was not leaving the community, a place he has lived with his family for over 20 years.
“Unfortunately, on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, some gunmen believed to be the extremists stormed his house in the dead of the night and shot the couple dead, alongside their children. It was such a gruesome act,” Pa Akinfenwa lamented.
He blamed the development on some people who he said were desperate to import Sharia into the South-West.
“You have been hearing the news that some persons want to introduce Sharia into the South-West.
“However, there has been strong opposition to it; you can see the kind of thing they want to bring to our place.
“You can’t force people to belong to a certain religion; this is the same kind of thing the Boko Haram terrorists are doing.
“I urge security agencies to ensure that the killers of this couple and their two children are brought to book,” he further stated.
Meanwhile, when our correspondent visited the Owo Police Station, a senior police officer confirmed the murder of the couple and their children.
He said that investigation was ongoing and that no arrests had been made.
It could be recalled that not long ago, some concerned Nigerians asked the United States of America to declare Nigeria as a country of interest over the persecution of Christians in the country.
