8 in police custody over alleged ritual killing
The Police Command in Oyo State has detained eight suspected serial ritual killers and 15 others for alleged murder, robbery, and rape.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ayodele Sonubi, made this known while presenting the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Ibadan on Friday.
Sonubi stated that the command received information about the act of one of the suspected serial ritual killers on August 10, when it was reported by one Ayede, prompting immediate police action.
Residents of the community had earlier noticed an offensive odor emanating from a building owned by the 40-year-old suspect, who did not reside in the house.
The police commissioner also noted that the man often visited the house at odd hours.
Operatives from Moniya Divisional Police Headquarters swiftly moved to the scene, discovering a dry well at the compound.
Upon closer inspection, they found what appeared to be mutilated human bodies inside the well.
Eventually, the remains of three unidentified bodies were removed and taken to the State Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy, according to Sonubi.
The suspect was arrested, and during interrogation, he confessed to the crime. He also revealed the names of some accomplices involved in the killings for money rituals, who are now at large.
Sonubi further disclosed that in April, the suspect and his accomplices lured a 28-year-old man to the same location in Moniya, where they severed his head and legs, and sold them to two other suspects.
READ ALSO: Cleric, 3 teenagers, behead 14-year-old boy for money ritual
On August 7, the suspect, along with others still at large, stabbed a 17-year-old boy to death and severed his head and legs, which were sold to a female suspect for ₦70,000.
On August 11, at around 6:30 a.m., a search warrant was executed at the houses and premises of the suspects, where fresh human flesh was recovered. During the investigation, other suspects were also arrested, and they confessed to purchasing various human body parts from the 40-year-old suspect for money rituals.
In an interview, the main suspect, who claimed to be an Islamic cleric, confessed that he began killing people for money rituals in 2024, having killed no fewer than five people. He charged ₦200,000 for each ritual killing.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that exhibits recovered from the suspects included a dried human skull, charms, 89 bags of cannabis sativa, a motorcycle, and a cutlass, among other items.
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