In Akure, a 39-year-old fruit seller named Dolapo Babalola has confessed to the murders of his cousin and four others for ritual purposes in Okeigbo, Ondo State.
Babalola, among 18 other suspects, revealed his involvement in using the victims’ body parts for rituals, with his herbalists and accomplices also apprehended and paraded by the police in Akure.
Speaking to reporters, Babalola detailed his modus operandi, which involved attacking motorcyclists, killing them, and dismembering their bodies when recognized. He admitted to engaging in this illicit activity since 2021, operating within the town and neighboring states.
While he denied directly selling human parts, he confessed to trading one victim’s body part with an herbalist in exchange for an Ifa Oracle. His method involved attacking victims with stones and sticks during motorcycle thefts.
The State Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Oladapo, disclosed that Babalola’s arrest led to the discovery of multiple murder cases, including instances in Kabba, Kogi State, Ife along Ilesha road in Osun State, Ondo town, and other locations. The suspects involved in receiving stolen items and aiding in the sale of stolen motorcycles have also been apprehended.
