By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Oyo State Police Commissioner, Mr Samuel Adegbuyi has said two suspects allegedly trading in human heads for ritual purposes and the leaders of the dreaded cult groups, known as the ‘One Million Boys’ and Abe igi boys are now in police net in Ibadan.
CP Adegbuyi stated this while parading 49 suspected criminals arrested by men of the state Police command in and across the state for various atrocities to journalists at the commands’ headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan.
According to the Police Commissioner, the suspected human heads traders, Saheed Adeyemi, 33 and Micheal Edemba, 60 were arrested with a human head at about 6.00 p.m. on February 1, 2017 by operatives of the Omi Adio Police Division following a tip off by members of the public, the police boss said.
“Saheed Adeyemi, the first suspect, walked into the ambush laid by the police while trying to remove the exhibit wrapped in a black polythene bag and hidden beside a shop at Abidogun Junction, Omi Adio. His arrest led to the arrest of the second suspect while preparing to escape from the town when he knew the bubble had burst”he said.
The CP added that “during interrogation, both suspects confessed to the crime”saying, “the first suspect who is an herbalist residing at Awosonso village, Apata, disclosed that he bought the human head at the rate of fifteen thousand naira from a yet-to-be-identified woman, now at large, for the purpose of making money rituals, for the second suspect who was passing through hard times as a result of financial difficulty. The second suspect, a resident of Awidere area, Igisogba, Omi-Adio, Ibadan, corroborated the first suspect. The exhibit when recovered was oozing with stench, indicating that it was a fresh head of an unidentified person.”
The arrested leaders of the cult groups were identified as Moshood Oladokun (32) (One Million Boys’one) and one Adeleke Wasiu said to be the leader of Abe Igi boys.
According to the CP, Oladokun was responsible for the spate of violence in places like Beers, Born photo, Isale Osi, Mapo, Ido Aro and several other parts of Ibadan.
The CP said the arrested leaders of the cult groups have been allegedly responsible for the spate of violence in places such as Beere, Born Photo, Isale Osi, Mapo, Idi-Aro and several other parts of Ibadan metropolis in recent times,saying that
“during such violence leading to arson, looting, destruction of valuable property, maiming and senseless murder using dangerous weapons with which the miscreants inflicted pains and caused apprehension to innocent people in the affected areas”.
He added that “through intensive investigation during the last yuletide, the notorious kingpin of the ‘One Million Boys’ cult group and his cohorts, who had been very elusive, were fished out from their criminal hideout at Ajah area of Lagos in a shootout that followed a well-coordinated operation carried out by security operatives.
Also,three suspects in the killing of a member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Gideon Aremu on April 1, 2016 namely Yusuf Jimoh (25), Akeem Tiamiyu (24) and Babarinde Ikeji (29, the gang’s ritualist/spiritualist
were paraded by the police and that three live cartridges were recovered from the suspects.
Others arrested with the One million boys leaders included Mutiu Lawal (22); Habib Oladiti (26), and Akinkunmi Abioye A(35) while others escaped with bullet wounds.
The CP stressed that during interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime and series of other criminal activities carried out in various parts of Ibadan and its environs.
