Police arrest brothers for ‘kidnapping woman, 9-year-old boy for rituals’ in Ogun

The Ogun police command says it has arrested two brothers for allegedly abducting a woman and her nine-year-old son.

Abimbola Oyeyemi, police spokesperson in the state, announced this in a statement on Friday.

Oyeyemi said the brothers, identified as Ayomide and Gbenga Babatunde, were nabbed after the police received information that the suspects were making a phone transaction on how to sell human parts.

He said the supposed buyer, identified as Jacob Olorunto, reported the case to a traditional ruler in the area.

The suspects were said to have negotiated the sum of N600,000 for sale of the abductees.

“Two brothers, Ayomide Babatunde and Gbenga Babatunde, were in the early hours of Friday 30th of December 2022 arrested by men of Ogun State Police Command for kidnapping a woman and her nine years old son for ritual purpose,” the statement reads.

“The suspects were arrested following an information received by policemen at Oja Odan divisional headquarters that the two brothers were negotiating on phone to sell a human being either in parts or alive, depending on how the buyer wants it for money making ritual.

“The supposed buyer, one Jacob Olorunto, then informed the Baale of the community about the intention of the suspects, and the Baale quickly informed the police.

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

“On the 27th of December 2022, the suspects called the supposed buyer, Jacob Olorunto, and informed him that they have two human beings, a woman and her male child for sale. They negotiated and settled for six hundred thousand naira (#600,000) as the price for the two persons.

“On the 29th of December, 2022, one of the suspects, Ayomide Babatunde, went to Ilaro and lured his 45 years old woman friend by name Taye Oluwole to follow him to Oja Odan with her 9 years old son, Remilekun Oluwole, 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, Gbenga Babatunde.

“The two suspects, from there, took the victim to Igbo Obe area of Ojo-odan to meet the supposed buyer, Jacob Olorunto, but they were surrounded by the policemen with the collaboration of youths in the area by 12:30 midnight, while the woman and her son were rescued.

“The two suspects have confessed to the commission of the crime.”

Oyeyemi added that the commissioner of police in the state has directed that the suspects be transferred to the criminal investigation department for prosecution.