Residents of the Jaleyemi area of Osogbo, Osun State, were thrown into confusion on Thursday after the decomposing body of a hairstylist identified simply as Kemisola was discovered inside her apartment.
The remains were later evacuated by operatives of the Osun State Police Command after the incident was reported.
A co-tenant in the building, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said he became suspicious after noticing that the deceased’s apartment door was slightly open in the early hours of Thursday.
According to him, repeated greetings directed at the deceased went unanswered, prompting him to check the room where he found her lifeless body lying on the bed.
“This morning, I saw that her door was partly open. I greeted her several times, but there was no response. When I checked inside, I discovered her decomposing body on the bed,” the neighbour said.
He added that he barely knew the deceased beyond occasional greetings exchanged within the compound.
Another resident identified simply as Jide said the unpleasant odour coming from the apartment had initially been mistaken for a dead animal.
Jide explained that he last saw Kemisola on Monday and became alarmed after the smell persisted until the body was eventually discovered.
Items reportedly found in the room before the evacuation of the corpse included a knife, a mobile phone and an empty bottle containing an unknown substance.
A man who identified himself as the deceased’s elder brother said he had seen Kemisola on Monday after she returned from a trip to Igbajo.
He disclosed that she had promised to visit him again, but he was shocked to later receive news of her death.
“She returned from Igbajo on Monday and told me she would come back later. I never knew that would be the last time I would see her alive,” he said.
Another neighbour, Damilola, described the deceased as a calm and friendly person, adding that she had relocated from the area months earlier due to poor electricity supply.
According to her, Kemisola had moved in with her maternal uncle and only visited the apartment occasionally.
“She was like a younger sister to me. She left this area about three months ago because of irregular power supply and only came around once in a while,” Damilola said.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the case had been reported and investigations had commenced.
He stated that the remains had been evacuated for autopsy, noting that no visible marks of violence were found on the body.
“The incident was reported today.
The corpse has been taken away by the police, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
No visible mark of violence was found on the deceased, but investigation is ongoing,” Ojelabi said.