The Ogun State Police Command have arrested a 29-year-old herbalist, Baoku Gbuyi, and a 27-year-old bricklayer, Olamide Odulaja, over the killing of a housewife, Modupeola Folorunsho, and her four-year-old son, Peter Folorunsho, for money making ritual.
The arrest of the suspects is a follow-up to a report received at Ijebu Igbo Police Division from the victim’s husband on February 14, 2021.
Folorunsho had told the police that his wife and son went out since the previous day and were yet to return, adding that efforts to locate them had not yielded any positive result.
Upon receiving the report, a case of missing persons was incidented and the Divisional Police Officer, Ijebu Igbo Division, SP Kazeem Solotan, detailed his crack detectives to unravel the mystery behind the sudden disappearance of the woman and her son.
A technical and intelligence-based investigation by detectives assigned to the case led to the arrest of Odulaja in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
On interrogation, Odulaja confessed that he and one herbalist abducted Modupeola and her son on February 13, 2021, and that the victim and her son were killed for money ritual in the house of the said herbalist.
Odulaja stated further that it was Gbuyi who burnt the woman’s head, which he used for him.
Following Odulaja’s confession, detectives went after the herbalist, who resides at Araromi Street, Japara, Ijebu Igbo.
But the police learnt on getting to his residence that the herbalist had absconded, having heard about the arrest of Odulaja.
Subsequently, all the adjoining police divisions were alerted to be on look out for the fleeing suspect.
Gbuyi was eventually traced to Kajola village, where he was arrested by the DPO of Awa Ijebu, with the assistance of hunters and local vigilantes.
On interrogation, the herbalist confessed that it was Odulaja who approached him for money making ritual, following which he asked him to bring the head of a human being as one of the materials to be used.
Gbuyi stated further that they both conspired to abduct the woman and her son and slaughter them for that purpose.
He confessed further that he burnt the woman’s head with some other herb materials, which he gave to Odulaja to use.
When asked about the little boy, Gbuyi said his head and remains were dumped inside a pit latrine.
Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Edward Awolowo Ajogun, who commended his men for their display of investigative intelligence, has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, for further investigation and diligent prosecution.
Describing the incident as the height of man’s inhumanity to man, the police boss warned those who are out looking for money making rituals to desist, as only hard work backed with prayer can lead to success.
