The Lagos State Police Command has announced the arrest of a gang of 10 suspected ritualists, known for murdering individuals and trading their body parts.
SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the command’s spokesperson, disclosed the arrests during a media briefing on Friday. He identified the gang leader, 33-year-old Ademola Akinlosotu, as previously involved in exhuming bodies from cemeteries to sell their parts to those performing money rituals.
The arrests included various accomplices such as a community chief, an Ifa priest, an Osun priestess, an Islamic cleric, and a traditional medicine practitioner, captured through tips from the public.
Hundeyin explained that intelligence reports indicated that victims were lured to the gang’s hideout and never seen alive again. Various human body parts were seized from the suspects as evidence.
The police are currently pursuing other members of the gang, and Hundeyin affirmed that all apprehended suspects would face legal proceedings once the investigation concludes.
In a statement to the press, Ademola confessed to initially sourcing body parts from cemeteries but later resorted to murder to meet the demand for fresher parts from his clients.
Ademola disclosed that while he and certain gang members carried out the killings, he was responsible for distributing the parts. He primarily supplied these to a 52-year-old man, Ahmed Wahab, known as Alfa Bororo, who conducted his operations from Badagry in Lagos State and Ogun, servicing various clients.
He outlined the prices of human parts, noting that a fresh human head could fetch between N45,000 and N50,000, while a dried head sold for between N30,000 and N35,000. A human heart went for N70,000, and hands for N50,000.
Ademola confessed to having personally killed two people, including a friend he had connected with on social media. He explained that before any killing, a herbalist would be consulted to determine if the act would be successful or could lead to trouble.
The suspect recounted an incident where a traditional ruler from Badagry had asked him to murder his troublesome son. The day planned for this act coincided with a visit from his online friend, who became the victim instead.
Ademola revealed that he specifically needed the head, heart, and hands of his victims.