The police command in Osun has arrested four suspects that allegedly conspired and killed a 45-year-old woman for money ritual in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The police command’s spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, made this known during the parade of the suspects in Osogbo on Friday.

Ms 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 a.m., his mother, Usman Aminat, 45, left home for lyana Ajia-lbadan, Oyo State to pay a visit to Onifade Oyekanmi.

“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,” she said

Ms 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,” the spokesperson said

Ms 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 is 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 Mr Oyekanmi and dismembered her body.

” They confessed to have 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.

“Onifade equally added that he burnt the two cell phones belonging to the deceased after killing her to evade being traced,” Ms Opalola said

The police spokesperson equally said they arrested a 24-year-old man who fraudulently withdrew the sum of N4.5 million from the bank account of his victim sometime in June 2023.

Ms Opalola said other arrested persons were: a suspected cult member with a fabricated illegal firearm and the fabricator of the gun as well as four armed robbery suspects.

She said a 65-year-old man who killed his 100-year-old mother in Apomu during an argument was also arrested while two suspects tried to rob a lady of her iphone at Ayekale area, Osogbo.

Equally, three suspects, who stole 120 litres of diesel at Adeleke University, Ede, were arrested, the command’s spokesperson said.

Ms Opalola said all the suspects would be charged to court after the completion of investigation.

She admonished residents to always give prompt and credible information/reports to the police and also report every strange movement and strange people around them. 

(NAN)