Operatives of Ogun Police Command have arrested five suspects for allegedly slaughtering a 45-year-old housewife, Memunat Akinde, and a motorcyclist Ibikunle Ajose for “ritual purposes.”
Mrs Akinde, a fish seller, was on October 1, conveyed by the commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider) from her residence at Idoleyin area of Ado Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, to buy fish at the market.
But the victims reportedly got missing, prompting the husband of the woman to lodge a complaint at Ado Odo Divisional Police Headquarters.
The spokesperson of the State Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, on Wednesday, said the case was transferred to the anti-kidnapping unit of the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department with an order to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the two.
He said the team’s intelligence and technical based investigation paid off with the arrest of one Okediran Monsuru who was traced to Badagry and apprehended.
According to her, Monsuru’s arrest led the police to apprehend three others namely; Ajaoba Monday, Akewusola Wajud and Nupo Pona.
During interrogation, Oyeyemi quoted them to have confessed that they worked for a “notorious land grabber, Lebo” who, after the kidnap, ordered them to slaughter the victims.
He also quoted them to have said that the human parts were handed over to the fifth suspect and herbalist, Dasu Sunday, who took the parts away for money making ritual.
Oyeyemi said: “The four of them confessed that they were working for a notorious land grabber who they simply identified as Lebo.
“They stated that they accosted the two victims along the road at Abisoye village where they abducted them to an uncompleted building in a bushy area, tied them in both hands and leg and later called their principal on phone informing him that they have succeeded in getting two victims.
“Having killed them, the fifth suspect Dasu Sunday who is a herbalist was called, and on his arrival, they cut the two victims into pieces and loaded their parts into a sack brought by the herbalist who took the parts away for money making ritual.”
The spokesman said the woman’s head was recovered at the herbalist’s shrine. All the five suspects are in police custody.
He said operatives of the command have launched “a serious manhunt” for the fleeing principal simply known as “Lebo”.