Two brothers arrested in Ogun for allegedly kidnapping woman and her 9-year-old son for ritual

Kidnapping for ritual involves killing or severing the body part of abducted persons for the purpose of using it as an object of ritual sacrifice aimed to acquire ritual money, favour, fame, success, power and protection.

It is one of the challenges facing Nigeria which has pervaded almost all parts of the country.

 Kidnapping has become a regular event when hundreds of Nigerians lost their lives to ritual killers.

 Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested two brothers for allegedly kidnapping a woman and her 9-year-old son for ritual purposes.

The suspects, Ayomide Babatunde and Gbenga Babatunde were arrested on Friday, December 30, following information received by policemen at Oja Odan Divisional Headquarters that the brothers were negotiating with a supposed buyer to sell two human beings either in parts or alive for money making ritual. 

Spokesperson of the command, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, who disclosed this in a statement, said the supposed buyer informed the Baale of the community about the intention of the suspects, and the traditional ruler immediately notified the police.

"The supposed buyer was advised by the Police to play along with them in order to save the would-be victim," the PPRO said. 

“On the 27th of December 2022, the suspects called the supposed buyer and informed him that they have two human beings, a woman and her male child for sale.

"They negotiated and settled for N600,000 as the price for the two persons. On the 29th of December 2022, one of the suspects went to Ilaro and lured his 45-year-old woman friend to follow him to Oja Odan with her nine-year-old son in order to celebrate New Year with his father.

"The woman innocently agreed to follow him, and along the road, they stopped over to pick the second suspect," 

"The two suspects from there, took the victims to Igbo Obe area of Oja-Odan to meet the supposed buyer Jacob Olorunto, but they were rounded up by policemen in collaboration with some youths in the area at about 12:30 midnight, while the woman and her son were rescued.

“The two suspects have confessed to the commission of the crime," Oyeyemi said, adding that they have confessed to the commission of the crime, according to the police command.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, ordered that the suspects be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation and diligent prosecution.