Matilda Omonaiye/
One of the three suspects linked with serial killings in the Akinyele area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has revealed that he got N500 and food for each of the six persons he murdered in the area.
No fewer than five females were raped and murdered in Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan in June, in a crime similar to the Badoo ritual killings that gave the police sleepless nights at a time in Lagos.
The 19-year-old suspect whose name was not disclosed was among 19 suspects paraded on Friday by Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Nwachuckwu Enwonwu, for various offences ranging from armed robbery, defilement, motorcycle theft, among others.
The suspect said he was sent on the mission by a 50-year-old herbalist, who, he claimed, was his master.
He said, “Anytime I’m to go for the killing, Baba will give me some charms and also teach me some incantation to recite so that nobody will see me at the scene of the crime.
“I will hit the victims with a shovel and recite the incantation immediately I see blood coming out of the victims’ body.
“Baba instructed me to always move around the victims at the scene after killing them and then turn my back on them, staying there for like three minutes; which I did and nobody will see me.
“Baba said the spirits of the victims will come to him after I killed them.
“Baba did not tell me the reason for the killings but do buy me food and gives me N500 after each of the killings I carried out for him.”
Reacting, the herbalist, whose name was not revealed, denied ever sending the suspect on the mission to kill but confirmed that the suspect was brought to him by his parents to learn about herbs.
“The boy was brought to me in 2016 and only spent six days with me and I sent him away and since then I have not seen him.
“I only saw him some days ago when he came with the police, though I do give him food,” he said.
The Commissioner of Police said that the 19-year-old suspect was arrested through a receiver on a phone he stole from one of the deceased victims, Azeezat Shomuyiwa.
Enwonwu said the modus operandi of the suspect was to target female victims and attack them with dangerous weapons, rob them before hacking them to death.
The CP said that the suspect confessed to have masterminded various criminal activities within Ojo’o, Akinyele and Moniya areas of Ibadan.
“He attacked and killed 18-year-old Barakat Bello on June 1, attacked and killed 21-year-old, Grace Oshiagwu on June 13, and killed a 5-year-old, Mojeed Tirimisiyu on June 22, all in Akinyele.
“His last operation was carried out on June 29 where he attacked Mrs Adeola Azeez and her daughter with a shovel.
“The duo were seriously injured on the head, carted away their phone and money, the victims are currently responding to treatment at the hospital,” Enwonwu said.
The police commissioner said that the suspect led the SARS operatives to the hideout of the herbalist that engaged him for the killings.
The police also paraded two teenage boys for allegedly defiling a seven-year-old girl.
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