A herbalist from Oba-Oke, Osun State, named Ganiyu Kehinde, has been apprehended by the police for the murder of his friend, Emmanuel Collins. Kehinde admitted to killing Collins to obtain body parts for use in money rituals.
Kehinde was among several suspects arrested across the state for various offenses and presented by the police at the Osun Command headquarters in Osogbo on Friday.
According to Yemisi Opalola, spokesperson for the Osun Police Command, it was reported to the Oke-Odo Division in Osogbo that Collins, a 35-year-old Ghanaian, had been killed by an unidentified person. Following the report, police detectives initiated an investigation that led to the arrest of Kehinde Ganiyu, who was a close friend of the victim. Kehinde confessed to the crime, explaining that on July 9, 2024, at around 9:00 p.m., he visited Collins’ residence armed with a knife. Finding Collins asleep due to illness, Kehinde attacked him, slitting his throat. He then dried the throat for three days before taking it to a bush in the Igbo Imese Aiwosi Area of Oba-Oke village. There, he burned it in a clay pot with ritual materials and mixed the ashes with soap for a money ritual.
Kehinde admitted to carrying out the act alone. The investigation is ongoing, and Kehinde will be charged in court upon its completion, Opalola stated.
In an interview, Kehinde, who identified himself as a herbalist, confessed to killing Collins and using his throat for a money ritual soap. He claimed that he was driven by a devilish impulse to murder his friend. He also mentioned having previously prepared similar ritual soap for four individuals involved in internet fraud.
Another suspect, 22-year-old Effiong Saviour, was also paraded. Saviour allegedly attacked a woman with a machete in Ipetumodu, robbing her of her handbag, which contained a phone, a GTB ATM card, and 6,000 Naira, after inflicting machete wounds on her.
Opalola warned against criminal activities, emphasizing that all suspects would face legal action after investigations are completed. She encouraged residents to provide timely information to help prevent crime.
