NOTORIOUS RITUALIST APPREHENDED IN OYO STATE

Notorious ritualist apprehended in Oyo State after paying N30,000 for two fresh human skulls for money rituals

Amotekun Corps in Oyo State prevented two men, Ganiyu Maruf and Bashiru Basit, from being apprehended by an angry mob on Thursday after they were discovered in possession of two human skulls.

The suspects were apprehended while attempting to retrieve the skulls, which were hidden in a sack, from a bush in the Agunpopo community where they had been kept. Maruf, one of the suspects, claimed to have paid N30,000 for the skulls, which he and Basit intended to use in a money ritual.

Amotekun had previously observed through its surveillance team that some men would go into the bush, emerge with a cellophane bag, and leave. This allegedly prompted the planting of some people to keep watch. The suspects were said to have arrived in the area early on Thursday, around 6.30 a.m., and when questioned by residents, they were unable to provide a convincing explanation for their presence. The bushy part is thought to have been used as a depot for human skulls, where merchants would go whenever a buyer needed one.

Despite pleas from Amotekun operatives, the mob of about a thousand people attacked the suspects with cutlasses, stones, and sticks. It took a collaboration between the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Agro Rangers and Amatekun operatives to calm the mob before the suspects were ferried to safety and kept in custody.

Maruf, one of the suspects, was previously arrested by police for the same crime and arraigned in court. As the case is still ongoing, he is said to be on bail. Maruf, one of the suspects, mentioned the supplier of the skulls in a confession. Dauda, he claims, is now late. He told the Saturday Tribune that he paid N30,000 for the two skulls, which were intended to be used in money rituals.