Metro
Seven suspected ritualists nabbed in Ogun
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested no fewer than seven suspected ritualists from different parts of Abeokuta, the state capital.
Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday.
Oyeyemi identified the suspects as Lekan Oladipupo, Sulaiman Aremu, Ifayemi Madru, Shittu Saheed, Samod Sulaiman, Akanji Moruf and Tajudeen Adekunle.
“They were arrested following a report lodged at Bode Olude divisional headquarters by one Abraham Okosun, who reported that he visited his brother, Sunday Okosun at Agbara village via Mawuko Abeokuta, only to discover that his brother has been brutally murdered by unknown person(s), and his remains had been dismembered,” the force PPRO said.
Upon receiving the report, the Divisional police officer of Bode Olude Division, Durojaye Rotimi, visited the scene with his detectives and then embarked on intelligence based investigation to reveal those behind the dastardly act.
The police spokesperson said detectives acted on credible intelligence, traced and apprehended Lekan Oladipupo.
The suspect was said to have confessed to having shot and killed Okosun with his Dane gun.
According to the police public relations officer, his confession led to the arrest of the six other suspects.
“Lekan Oladipupo informed the police that his own role is to look for their victim, usually in the bush around Mawuko area and shot such unfortunate person to death.
“He will then contact Sulaiman Aremu, who will butcher the corpse of the victim and remove vital parts to be distributed to their standby customers,” the police spokesman stressed.
One of the suspects – Ifayemi Badru – police authorities say, bought the heart, hands and other parts of the body, while Shittu Saheed bought the head.
This is even as Akanji Moruf is accused of buying the heart of another of their victims, with Tajudeen Adekunle buying the head.
The statement continued, “The suspects confessed to have killed not less than four persons in similar circumstances and that their body parts were used for money-making rituals. They also informed the police that they have code names for each human part whenever they want to request it from their butcher. For example, they normally referred to human head as ball, the heart as a transformer, while the hand is code-named fans.”
Items recovered from the suspects include a gun and cutlass which the suspects used in carrying out their activities.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Lanre Bankole, described the incident as the height of man’s inhumanity to man.
He equally ordered that the suspects be transferred to the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation with the view to charging them to court as soon as possible.
It was a night of sorrow and devastation in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, as a horrific multiple-vehicle crash along the Ibadan axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway claimed at least five lives and left eight others injured in a fiery chain collision involving trucks, tankers, and smaller vehicles.
The accident occurred at about 10:00 p.m. on Friday around the Satguru Maharaji Ji Village axis, just before the Ibadan Toll Gate, throwing the busy highway into chaos as flames and thick smoke engulfed the scene.
The crash involved six trucks, including gas tankers and trailer units, two Toyota Hilux vans, and two cars, according to emergency officials who described it as one of the most severe road accidents in recent times on the corridor.
Eyewitnesses said the tragedy began when one of the trucks reportedly suffered brake failure and rammed into another vehicle ahead of it, triggering a chain reaction that quickly escalated into a multi-vehicle inferno.
In moments, several vehicles were trapped in the blaze, while terrified motorists and bystanders watched helplessly as the fire spread across the expressway.
Eight persons were rescued alive with varying degrees of injuries and were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, said the crash was caused by brake failure which spiralled into a massive fire outbreak.
“Upon arrival, we discovered that the accident involved six trucks (gas tankers and trailer trucks) and two cars, resulting in a fire outbreak,” he said.
“Five persons were recovered dead, while eight others were rescued and handed over to the team of the Federal Road Safety Corps led by SRC Adegbite from Toll Gate, Ibadan, for further medical attention at the nearest hospital.”
Firefighters eventually brought the inferno under control after hours of operation, while security operatives and traffic officials worked to clear wreckage and restore movement on the busy expressway.
Normalcy has since returned to the road, but the tragedy has left behind a grim reminder of the dangers of mechanical failure and unsafe haulage on Nigeria’s busiest highway.
A deeply disturbing incident has left residents of Daura Local Government Area, Katsina State, in shock after a 20-year-old woman allegedly killed her 97-year-old grandmother during a family dispute.
The Katsina State Police Command confirmed that the tragic incident occurred at about 7:00 p.m. on June 12, 2026, following an argument between the suspect and her paternal grandmother at their residence.
According to preliminary investigations, the disagreement escalated into violence when the young woman allegedly struck the elderly victim on the head with a wooden chair. The blow reportedly left the nonagenarian severely injured and unconscious.
The victim was later discovered in a pool of blood after the suspect’s father reported the incident to the Sabon Garin Daura Police Station. Police operatives immediately rushed to the scene and evacuated her to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.
Despite efforts by medical personnel, she was confirmed dead by a doctor shortly after arrival.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Katsina State Command, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, said the suspect was arrested in the course of investigation and had reportedly made a confession to the crime.
He added that the suspect remains in custody and will be charged to court upon the completion of investigations, assuring that justice would be served in accordance with the law.
The command also appealed for calm among residents, reiterating its commitment to a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
No fewer than 20 shops were razed while goods valued at over ₦200 million were destroyed after a midnight fire gutted a shopping complex in the Dugbe area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The inferno, which started around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, affected the Nigerian Postal Service shopping complex located beside the Dugbe General Post Office.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent on Sunday that the fire was allegedly triggered by an accident involving a Lexus saloon car.
According to residents, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle while travelling from the Queen’s Cinema axis towards Iyaganku.
The vehicle was said to have rammed into a giant billboard situated in front of the Nigerian Railway Corporation station in Ibadan before somersaulting and splitting into two.
Witnesses said the rear part of the vehicle, reportedly carrying a Compressed Natural Gas tank and back tyres, detached and rolled into the shopping complex, where an explosion occurred, igniting the fire.
The blaze razed about 20 shops dealing in stationery, computer accessories and clothing materials, leaving traders counting heavy losses.
Men of the Oyo State Fire Service were, however, able to prevent the fire from spreading to the General Post Office and adjoining buildings.
The occupants of the Lexus reportedly escaped unhurt.
Although some eyewitnesses alleged that the occupants were heading towards the Ring Road area before the crash, authorities had yet to officially confirm details surrounding their identities and movement as of the time of filing this report.
When our correspondent visited the scene around 8 a.m. on Sunday, firefighters and security operatives were still at the complex battling the aftermath of the inferno as smoke billowed from sections of the affected structure.
Shop owners and residents gathered at the scene, lamenting the destruction of goods and property.
One of the affected traders, Kingsley Chioma, said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Iyaganku Police Station assured victims that efforts were underway to apprehend the driver.
“We lost goods worth millions of naira to the fire. The DPO assured us that the driver responsible for the incident would be arrested,” Chioma said.
As of the time of filing this report, officials of the Oyo State Fire Service and the police had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
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