No evidence to substantiate claims that Barakat Bello was raped by her killers – Oyo Police PRO

The Oyo State Police Command has said there is no evidence yet to confirm that 18-year-old Barakat Bello was raped before she was murdered at her parents’ residence in Ibadan earlier this week.

This is contrary to viral reports on the internet that she was raped and killed by her attackers.

Multiple accounts on the internet alleged that Barakat, a National Diploma 1 (ND1) student in the department of Science Laboratory Technology (SLT) of the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Apata, Ibadan, Oyo State, was raped and murdered by unknown hoodlums at her parents’ home.

Her death sparked outrage and the hashtag #JusticiaForBarakat has trended on social media on Wednesday.

Fadeyi, however, told Neusroom that claims on the internet suggesting that Barakat was raped could not be substantiated yet as there is no medical report to ascertain the claim.

“The father said on Sunday evening around past 5, he came and met her (Barakat) in the pool of her blood, there was nobody around there, the hoodlums had fled and she was matcheted,” the police spokesperson said. “Instead of reporting to the police immediately, the parent went to bury her because she is a Muslim without allowing Police investigate and doctors perform autopsy.”

The parents’ decision not to report to Police for autopsy may be due to the Muslim Sharia which forbids autopsy on dead Muslim faithful.

Fadeyi added that parents of the deceased did not report the case to the Police until Wednesday morning when it trended on social media.

“The police have taken statements from the family and investigations have commenced,” he said.

The spokesperson, however, appealed to residents of the area to assist police with information that will hasten investigation and said no arrest has been made as at Wednesday evening when he spoke with Neusroom.