The police have confirmed the alleged beheading of a lady in Ilasa Ekiti, Ekiti East Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday, by a herdsman believed to be the deceased’s husband.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Caleb Ikechukwu who confirmed the killing, said the suspect had been arrested while investigations into the incident had commenced.

Tragedy struck when the young herdsman (name withheld) allegedly cut off the head of the lady at a stream in Ilasa Ekiti.

The victim, who is also of the same ethnic group with the suspected assailant, was allegedly attacked beside the stream where she had gone to fetch water with her younger sister.

The young man was said to have ambushed her and brought down her head while she bent to collect some water from the stream, and took to his heels.

He was arrested following the information provided by the younger sister of the deceased who witnessed the incident.

The victim was said to have been betrothed to the herdsman while she was a teenager, in line with their customs and tradition.

It was further gathered that trouble started last month when the suspect requested that his betrothed spend the Eld-el-Fitr holiday with him, but the family of the deceased failed to release her.

The lady was said to have observed that the suspect was a drunkard and drug addict and had avoided him for necessary marriage arrangements.

The suspect, it was gathered, suspected that the family of the deceased had breached the marriage contract.

Some relatives of the deceased who did not want their names mentioned expressed sadness over the incident.

The traditional rulers of the community, Oba Ajayi Omolagba, condemned the incident and said that the community had been in shock since the strange occurrence.

The Alasa of Ilasa said that the town had summoned the two families as well as their landlords to a meeting where resolutions were reached on how to forestall future occurrence.

PUNCH