CBJ AMEBO: MAN KILLED FOR RITUAL BY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS

From TUNDE RAHEEM Akure

Detectives from Ondo State Police Command are investigating the mystery behind the bizarre act of three highly placed personalities that killed their childhood friend for ritual sacrifice.

The suspects are Chief Babatunde Olumofe, who works for a bottling company based in Lagos; Mr. Sunday Akeju; and another PERSON simply identified as Eso.

They were all said to be childhood friends and own their personal houses on the same street in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos.



The suspects allegedly killed theIr childhood friend, Mr. Olufemi Ogunkorode, for ritual sacrifice at Erusu-Akoko, Ondo State, last week.

They reportedly tricked the late Mr. Ogunkorode, an indigene of Ilu Omoba-Ekiti, Ekiti State, to their home town last week Saturday on the pretext that Olumofe was going to bury his mother.

The suspects were said to have bought a new cloth for the deceased and presented it to him as their ‘uniform’ for the occasion.

Investigations revealed that the suspects handed over the victim to the traditionalists a few minutes after their arrival at Erusu-Akoko.

The traditionalists allegedly killed Ogunkorode for ritual to appease the gods of the town.

The suspects were said to have allegedly dumped the body of their victim along a major highway and claimed he was killed during a robbery incident.

The victim’s friends also reported the case to the police at Erusu-Akoko post.

The suspects were said to have given different reports when the case was transferred to the Oke Agbe Police Station.

They told the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) that Ogunkorode slumped and died.

Investigations also revealed that trouble started three years ago when Olumofe, who was to be honoured with a chieftaincy title, invited Ogunkorode to the installation.

Olumofe and Ogunkorode, who were said to be close friends from their days at the Christ School, Ado-Ekiti, allegedly carried out certain traditional rites together, which were considered sacrilegious by some traditionalists in the town.

The traditionalists had since then piled pressure on Olumofe to re-invite his friend for necessary rites to appease certain gods in the town.

When the victim was in the town in company with his friends, he was allegedly handed over to the traditionalists.

He was killed instantly while some parts of his body were removed for the said ritual.

The gruesome killing of the victim, it was gathered, has led to a cold war between the people of Erusu-Akoko and Ilu Omoba-Ekiti, as the latter allegedly turned back representatives of the former who were in their town to plead for forgiveness.

The source said: “Delegates from Erusu-Akoko, including some traditional chiefs, were in Ilu Omoba last Sunday in connection with the case.

“They even promised to take care of the necessary funeral rites, but they were chased away by irate youths of Ilu Omoba.”

The state the police command’s spokesman, Mr. Aremu Adeniran, confirmed the development.

Aremu said police had apprehended one of the perpetrators of the act and that a case of murder had been established against him.