VAM News Update
THE Ogun State Police Command has said that it has arrested two suspected ritualists, Akeem Usman and Ifadowo Niyi, who were said to have confessed to slaughtering an 18-year-old 100-level student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Quadri Salami after which his vital body parts were dismembered for ritual purposes.
The decomposing body of Salami, reported missing last month by his father at Kemta Police Station, Abeokuta, was found buried in a shallow grave at Mile 6, Ajemo area of Abeokuta.
Niyi was alleged to have gone with Salami’s head and his two wrists and paid N100,000 into Akeem Usman’s account as proceeds from the sale of the body parts.
The suspects were said to have thereafter continued to sell the deceased’s other body parts on demand to internet fraudsters, buried the heart, two legs, and flesh inside a plastic rubber for rituals and used the remaining parts for money-making charm.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday night.
According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, on Wednesday, led a Tactical Squad to Mile 6 in the Ajemo area of Abeokuta to a shallow grave to exhume the decomposing body parts of the deceased after a tracking clue beamed at one Akeem who was arrested in possession with the victim’s phone.
Akeem was said to have implicated Ifadowo Niyi, saying that both of them committed the crime by slaughtering the victim and dismembering his vital parts for ritual purposes.
The statement reads in part: “Ogun State Police Command has unravelled the disappearance of one Quadri Salami “m” 18-year-old a 100 level student of Obafemi Awolowo University, whose father reported at Kemta Police Station on the 14th of November 2023, as a case of a missing person, that since the 8th of November he had not set his eyes on his son and all efforts to locate him proved abortive.
“The Commissioner of Police CP Alamutu Abiodun Mustapha, made a significant breakthrough today the 6th of December 2023 when he personally led a team of Tactical Squad to Mile 6 in Ajemo area of Abeokuta to a shallow grave to exhume the decomposing body parts of the deceased after a tracking clue beamed at one AKEEM Usman “m” who was arrested in possession with the victims phone.
“He implicated one Ifadowo Niyi “m” that both of them committed the heinous crime by slaughtering the victim one Quadri and dismembered his vital parts for ritual purposes.
“Ifadowo went away with Quadri’s head, and his two wrist, and paid the sum of one hundred thousand Naira into Akeem Usman’s account as proceeds from the sale of the human body parts.
“The suspects thereafter continued to sell the victim’s other body parts on demand to Internet fraudsters and buried the heart, two legs, and flesh inside a plastic rubber for rituals and used the remaining parts for “Awure” a crime against humanity.
”Among their confessional statement, the duo admitted that they have used four other human heads for money rituals known as ‘Osole.’
“The suspects are now in Eleweran at SCID for continuation of discreet investigations and will definitely be prosecuted.
“The CP remain committed to ensuring that justice is served and will continue to investigate further to bring all perpetrators to face the full extent of the law stating that such criminal involvement endangers innocent lives urging parents to collectively work together with the police in Ogun by giving volunteer information to eradicate such nefarious practices”.