The Osun State Police Command detained four suspects believed to have colluded in the murder of a 45-year-old woman for purposes of a money ritual in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The spokesperson of the command, SP Yemisi Opalola, made this known during the parade of the suspects in Osogbo on Friday, April 19, 2024.
Opalola said that the suspects’ arrest followed a report of a missing person lodged by the son of the woman at the Apomu Police Division in Osun.
“On March 18, at 5:10 p.m., a complainant reported at Apomu Division that on March 13, at about 10:00 am, his mother, Usman Aminat, 45, left home for lyana Ajia-lbadan, Oyo State to pay a visit to Onifade Oyekanmi,” the PPRO said.
“He stated that since his mother left home, her cell phones were switched off and her whereabouts were unknown and that he strongly suspected that the said Oyekanmi, who is an herbalist, knew about his mother’s disappearance.
“The said Onifade was subsequently arrested and the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Osogbo, Osun, for further and discreet investigation.”
Opalola said the suspect’s confession led to the arrest of the three other suspects.
She said all the arrested suspects confessed to the individual roles they played, revealing that they all conspired to use the victim for money-making rituals.
“Thereafter, search warrants were executed on the houses and premises of the suspects where three bottles containing black substance suspected to be burnt human parts, two cutlasses, a big black clay pot, and some black soaps were recovered,”
Opalola said that a female, a neighbour to one of the suspects, who helped him conceal his own share of the powder substance, was also arrested
She said that the lady was later granted administrative bail because she was nursing a four-month-old baby
The police spokesperson said the suspects narrated how they conspired and strangled the victim to death in the house of Oyekanmi and dismembered her body.
“They confessed to having mixed the intestine of their victim with that of the dog, pig, goat and other herbs in a black clay pot and burnt everything to black powder which they shared among themselves.
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“Onifade equally added that he burnt the two cell phones belonging to the deceased after killing her to evade being traced,” Opalola added.
Opalola said the suspects would be charged in court after the completion of the investigation.
She admonished residents to always give prompt and credible information to the police and also report every strange movement and strange people around them.
