Oyo State Ritual Killing Trial Continues with Gruesome Details
The trial of Adekunle Mohammed, a 39-year-old resident of Olorisa Oko in the Moniya area of Ibadan, Oyo State, continued this week, revealing shocking details about alleged ritual killings that shocked the community in August 2024. The case has drawn significant attention due to the severity of the crimes and the involvement of multiple defendants.
Mohammed was arrested on August 8, 2024, by detectives from the Oyo State Police Command after residents reported a persistent foul odor coming from a well he had dug in front of his house. Initially, the Amotekun Corps was alerted, and they accompanied the residents to lodge a formal complaint at the Moniya Divisional Police Headquarters.
Following investigations, Mohammed was taken into custody. The next day, police detectives, along with Amotekun personnel and community members, searched his residence. Among the items recovered were a knife, animal horns containing charms, and a plastic bottle filled with a substance suspected to be human blood.
The search extended to the well on the premises, where hired hands were sent down. Authorities described the discovery as gruesome: three mutilated and decomposed human bodies were found. One of the victims was later identified by family members through clothing found on the remains.
According to the police, Mohammed allegedly confessed during interrogation to carrying out the killings in collaboration with accomplices who are still at large. He claimed that the four other defendants standing trial alongside him were buyers of the victims’ body parts.
The prosecution stated that Mohammed, who described himself as a herbalist and Islamic teacher, admitted to killing seven people since February 2024, directly participating in five of the alleged murders before his arrest.
Testimonies and Evidence Presented
Prosecution Witness Four (PW4), ASP Oladunjoye Segun, testified at the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan before Justice Ladiran Akintola. He provided detailed accounts of the confessions made by the five defendants and how they allegedly sold body parts of murdered victims at different prices.
Other defendants on trial with Mohammed include Muniru Salaudeen, Rashidat Akanji (a.k.a. Iya Ewe), Ismail Olalekan, and Sanmi Obaleye.
PW4, the Investigating Police Officer in charge of the case, revealed that the second defendant, Salaudeen, confessed to reselling two human legs he bought from Mohammed to the fifth defendant, Obaleye, for N60,000. Obaleye corroborated this statement during his interrogation.
During the examination-in-chief, PW4 detailed the recovery of several items from Mohammed’s house, including two knives, a white cloth with charms, a plastic bottle with a liquid suspected to be human blood, an android phone, an iron rod, and a horn with charms. These items were labeled Exhibit P4 and presented to the court.
Confessions and Identification of Victims
PW4 explained that during interrogations, the first defendant (Mohammed) admitted to dismembering victims and selling their body parts to the second, third, and fourth defendants, as well as others who are still at large. He also mentioned that the second defendant confirmed this during his arrest at BOVAS Filling Station.
Mohammed reportedly identified two of the victims: Adekola Sodiq and Malik Kareem. He described luring Sodiq into his house on May 22, 2024, where he and others killed and dismembered him. He sold Sodiq’s head and two hands to the fourth defendant for N120,000.
On August 11, 2024, Mohammed lured 17-year-old Malik Kareem into his house, where he and others killed and dismembered him. He sold Kareem’s head and two legs to the second defendant.
Discovery of Bodies in the Well
PW4 confirmed that the police recovered headless and decomposed human bodies from the well on Mohammed’s property. During interrogation, Mohammed admitted that he removed heads, hands, legs, and other useful body parts, leaving the remains in the well to avoid detection.
Alhaji Mojeed (PW1), a relative of Malik Kareem, identified the headless body by the clothes the victim was wearing when he went missing. Photographs of the body were taken and shown to Mohammed, who confirmed it was Kareem.
Legal Challenges and Admissibility of Evidence
The prosecution sought to tender photographs of the decomposing bodies and a Certificate of Compliance. However, defense counsel raised objections based on legal procedures. Counsel for the first, second, third, and fourth defendants argued that the evidence did not comply with the Evidence Act.
Despite these objections, the two photographs of Adekola Sodiq and Malik Kareem were admitted as evidence and marked Exhibit P6.
Ongoing Proceedings
During the course of the investigation, PW4 and his team visited the crime scene with witnesses and the first defendant present. They found that Mohammed and others used to bring victims to his house, where they were killed and dismembered.
However, PW4 could no longer continue his testimony due to ill health, leading the court to adjourn the proceedings for further hearings.
