Police in Ogun State have arrested a 49-year-old man, Ganiyu Shina, for allegedly bathing with blood at river bank in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Shina, who resides on Oguji street, Obantoko in Odeda Local Government Area, was arrested on Thursday at a river in Kotopo.
The police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed this to newsmen in Abeokuta.
According to him, the suspect was arrested when members of the community sighted him at the river bank, where he parked his Nissan commercial vehicle, came out with local sponge and a container filled with blood and started bathing with it.
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“Immediately he discovered that some people were watching him, he took to his heels, but was chased and apprehended by members of the community,” Oyeyemi said.
He said when the police at Aregbe divisional headquarters were informed of the incident by a member of the community, the Divisional Police Officer, Bunmi Asogbon, quickly led the patrol team to the scene and suspect was brought to the station.
Oyeyemi explained that during interrogation, the suspect said he was instructed to carry out the rituals by his herbalist.
He also quoted the suspect as saying the blood he used was that of a cow and not human.
“On interrogation, the suspect claimed to have a spiritual problem, and that a herbalist instructed him to perform the ritual.
“He claimed further that the blood in his possession is not human blood, but that of cow,” he said.
Oyeyemi quoted the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, to have directed that the remaining blood should be taken for laboratory analysis to ascertain whether it is human blood or not.
He added that the CP praised members of the community for not taken the laws into their own hands and assured them that the suspect would be properly investigated.
