Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Police in Ogun State have arrested a 22-year-old man, Adeeko Owolabi, and his 42-year-old accomplice, Segun Philip, for having killed a final year Sociology student of the Lagos State University, Favour Daley-Oladele.
The older man, Phillip, a self-described pastor of a white garment church in Ikoyi-Ile in Osun State, had conspired with Owolabi, the boyfriend of the deceased, to kill her for ritual purposes.
In a statement on Sunday by the Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the deceased was reported to have left her home in Mowe area of the state on December 8, with her whereabouts unknown since then.
Favour’s parents reported her missing at the Mowe Police Station and, on receiving the report, the DPO of Mowe Division, SP Marvis Jayeola, detailed detectives to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the 22-year-old undergraduate.
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The detectives, via forensic and other technical investigation, traced the movement of the missing girl to a church in Ikoyi-Ile, Osun State, headed by Philip, the pastor.
“On getting to the church, the self-acclaimed pastor was promptly arrested, but he was quick to inform the detectives that the girl was brought to him by her boyfriend, Owolabi, who was still within the vicinity of the church. The said boyfriend was apprehended immediately,” the police spokesperson stated.
“On interrogation, Owolabi confessed that the deceased was his girlfriend and that he lured her to Ikoyi-Ile where he had perfected plans with the cleric to use her for money-making ritual.
“He stated further that while the girl was asleep, the pastor gave him a pestle with which he used to smash the head of the girl, while the pastor quickly used a knife to cut off her neck, rip open her chest and remove her heart which he used in preparing a concoction for him and his mother to eat.
“When asked what pushed him to such devilish act, Owolabi explained that he decided to go into money ritual because things were not going well with his parents financially, most especially his mother, who used to be the breadwinner of the family. He added that when he sought for assistance from the pastor, he was asked to bring a human being for money making-ritual and the available person at that time was his girlfriend,” Oyeyemi stated.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in the State, Kenneth Ebrimson, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for proper investigation.
The CP, who described the gruesome murder of the deceased as an act of unbridled wickedness, vowed to ensure that all the suspects face the full wrath of the law.
