Aug. 16, 2024

The Police Command in Oyo State has arrested eight suspected serial ritual killers and 15 others over alleged murder, robbery and rape.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ayodele Sonubi, made this known while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Ibadan on Friday.

Sonubi said that the command got information about the act of one of the suspected serial ritual killer on Aug. 10 when it was reported by one Ayede and immediately swung into action.

He said that residents of the community had perceived an offensive odour oozing out of a building belonging to the 40-year-old suspect who didn’t, however, reside in the house.

The police commissioner also said that the man usually visited the house at odd hours.

“Operatives from Moniya Divisional Police Headquarters swung into action and moved to the scene, where a dry well was seen in the compound of the house.

“Upon close observation, gory sights of what had the semblance of mutilated human bodies were spotted inside the well.

“Eventually, the remains of three unidentified bodies were removed to the State Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy,” Sonubi said.

He said that the suspect was arrested, adding that asides confessing to the crime, he also mentioned the names of some of his accomplices in the killing of people for money ritual, who were now at large.

Sonubi said that the suspect and others at large had, in April, lured a 28-year-old man to the same scene at Moniya, severed his head and legs, and sold them to two other suspects.

He said that the suspect further confessed that on Aug. 7 he and others now at large stabbed a 17-year-old boy to death and severed his head and legs, which were sold to a female suspect for N70,000.

“On Aug.11, at about 0630hrs, an execution of search warrant was conducted in the houses and premises of the suspects where the victim’s fresh flesh was recovered.

“In the course of the investigation, other suspects were arrested and they confessed that they bought different types of human parts for money ritual from the 40-year-old suspect,” Sonubi said.

In an interview, the suspect, who claimed to be an Islamic cleric, said that he started killing people for money rituals in 2024 and that he had killed no fewer than five people.

He said that he used to collect N200,000 from anybody who gave him a money ritual job.

The exhibits recovered from the suspects included: dried human skull, charm, 89 bags of cannabis sativa, motorcycle and cutlass, among others. (NAN)