Ritual killings in Nigeria

Suspected ritualist on parade at Ondo

Ahead of the February general elections, ritualists are said to be on the prowl in Ondo State.
The gruesome murder of two teenage girls on the farm when they went to gather firewood for their mother to prepare dinner for their different families, recently placed the state on red alert of security authorities.


Vanguard learnt that the two girls identified as Oyinkansola Owoeye and Folasade Bello were reportedly slaughtered by their assailants and their blood drained before dumping their lifeless bodies by the road side.

The ugly incident which happened at Ota-Ogbo which is a new site behind Anglican Grammar School in Iju-Itaogbolu in Akure North council area of the state has since created fears and palpable tension in the agrarian community.

Parents hurriedly kept their children indoors while the attendance of school children at various schools had since the ncident occurred last weekend have reduced drastically.

Some of the parents interviewed expressed shock and vowed that they will continue to keep their wards at home until some is done that will assure them of the safety of their children when they go to school.

One of the parents Mrs Agness Ogunkorode appealed to the security operatives to smoke out the killers of the two innocent girls.

Ogunkorode said the people of town are now living in fear while the streets is deserted as early as 6pm since the murder of the girls.
She fingered politicians who are desperate for power and crazy to get rich as mastermind of the dastardly act.

Vanguard gathered that the girls on the instructions of their parents left home around 7am for the new site where building construction is in progress and many tress were fell by owners of the landed properties to gather firewood that would be used for cooking.

The mother of one of the girls whose mother died in the 2012 DANA plane mishap was living with a policeman in the town while other girl is a daughter of a civilian.

They were said to be Senior Secondary School SSS1 students in the town.

Vanguard gathered that the mother of one of the girl became apprehensive when they failed to return for the farm after two hours.

A search party was organised by the mothers and other sympathizers but the girls could not be found.

An alarm was raised to the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Amos Farunkanmi and some local hunters and youths in the town conducted another round of search only to discover their lifeless bodies inflicted with machetes cuts by the road side on the way to the farm.

Sources added that aside the machetes all over their bodies it was also discovered that their blood had been allegedly drained and taken away by the ritualists.

On careful examination, it was discovered that the girls may have first been strangulated before they were reportedly slaughtered and their blood drained.

Their heads were said to be dangling when their corpse were discovered by the search party.

The traditional ruler of the town, Oba Farunkanmi who spoke with Vanguard described the incident as shocking and dastardly.
Oba Farunkanmi said that the incident was the first in the history of the community. According to him the community has met with the security operatives on the incident and are ready to assist them to expose the killers of the innocent girls.

The traditional ruler appealed to the security operatives not to leave any stone unturn to smoke out the killers and bring them to book.

Oba Farunkanmi said the community has put in place machinery to safe guard the people of the community and forestall similar ugly incident in the town.

When contacted, the Police Image Maker Wole Ogodo confirmed the death of the two girls. Ogodo however said that they were killed by unknown assailants in the town.

According to him “we received information that the two girls, Oyinkansola and Folasade went to the bush to fetch fire wood where they met their untimely death last Saturday.

“Our detectives have visited the scene of the crime while photographs of the corpses were taken while the they had been removed and deposited at the Mortuary of the State Specialists Hospital for autopsy.

The police Image Maker said that no arrest had been made by the police as regards the death of the girls.

Ogodo said “ We hereby appeal to the people of the state to field the command with any useful information that could lead to the arrest of the criminals. Such information will be treated with utmost confidentiality.”

Meanwhile, it will be recalled that few weeks ago detectives in the state arrested two ritualists with a human skull along Ibillo/Isua expressway in Akoko South East council area.

Policemen attached to Isua Divisional Police Station while on a routine check along Ibilo/Isua expressway intercepted them while on an unregistered motorcycle.

The state Police Commissioner Isaac Eke who paraded the ritualists said that the two men who were on the bike cleverly wrapped the skull in a black polythene leather.

The suspects are Lukman Sule of Ikiran Town, Edo state and Alaiye Sule.

Vanguard learnt from police sources that the suspects exhumed the corpse of a dead man with the connivance of guards at an undisclosed burial ground and chopped off his head.

They reportedly allowed the head to get dried and were on their way to sell it to an herbalist when they were apprehended by the police.