Seven-Man Ritual Syndicate Arrested In Ogun

Seven men said to be members of a serial ritual syndicate in different parts of Abeokuta have been arrested by the operatives of the Ogun State Police Command.

The suspects were identified as Samod Sulaiman, Ifayemi Madru and Lekan Oladipupo of Sotan village; Sulaiman Aremu of Imala Elega; Shittu Saheed of Alarugbo village, Akanji Moruf of Alabata village and Tajudeen Adekunle of Sapon, all Abeokuta.

Abimbola Oyeyemi, spokesman of the police said the arrest of the suspects came after a report was lodged at Bode Olude police division by one Abraham Okosun, a brother of the deceased Sunday Okosun.

The complaint had told the police that he visited his brother, Sunday at Agbara village via Mawuko Abeokuta, only to discover that he had been “brutally murdered by unknown person(s), and his remains had been dismembered.”

Following the complaint, the DPO of Bode Olude division, DSP Durojaye Rotimi and his men visited the scene, embarking on an intelligence-based investigation to fish out the killers of Sunday Okosun.

“Acting on credible information, the detectives traced and apprehended Lekan Oladipupo, who on interrogation, confessed being the actual person who shot and killed the deceased with his Dane gun. His confession led to the arrest of the other six suspects,” Oyeyemi disclosed.

The Ogun Police Public Relations Officer explained that each of the arrested suspects confessed to the police, their roles in the gruesome murder of the deceased and others who have been killed in similar circumstances.

While Lekan Oladipupo claimed to be the one to search for and kill their victims in the bush around Mawuko, Sulaiman Aremu’s role was to butcher the corpse of the victim and remove vital parts to be distributed to their standby customers.

Their customers were identified by Oyeyemi as Ifayemi Badru, who bought the heart, hands, and other parts; Shittu Saheed who bought the head, Akanji Moruf who bought the heart of another victim and Tajudeen Adekunle, who also bought the head of another victim.

The suspects, according to Oyeyemi, had confessed to killing about four persons, adding that their body parts were used for moneymaking rituals.