In a chilling revelation, Dolapo Babalola, a 39-year-old fruit seller, confessed to the heinous acts of murdering his cousin and four others for ritual purposes in Okeigbo, within Ondo State’s Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area. Alongside 18 other suspected criminals, Babalola admitted to utilizing the victims’ body parts for sinister rituals, as disclosed during a police parade at the Akure headquarters.
Detailing his gruesome deeds to reporters, Babalola described his modus operandi of targeting motorcyclists, whom he would rob of their bikes. If the victims recognized him, he resorted to lethal force, bludgeoning them with stones and sticks. His reign of terror, he admitted, began in 2021 and extended across the town and neighboring states.
“I have killed five persons, including my cousin and my friend, and snatched their motorcycles,” Babalola confessed remorselessly. His friend Opeyemi fell victim to his scheme, with Babalola even selling the stolen motorcycle in Ibadan. Although he denied selling human parts, he conceded to delivering a portion of a victim’s body to an Ondo-based herbalist, who promised him an Ifa Oracle in return.
Commissioner of Police Abayomi Oladapo, addressing the press during the suspects’ parade, shed light on the extent of Babalola’s atrocities. Investigations unveiled a trail of murders spanning various locations, with victims in Kabba, Kogi State, Ife along Ilesha road in Osun State, Ondo town, and beyond. The web of complicity widened as Babalola, along with an accomplice named Sikiru Mutiu aka S.K, deceived his childhood friend Joel Olagoke into a fatal trap, dismembering his body for ritual purposes.
The police operation resulted in the arrest of additional suspects, including those who received stolen goods and facilitated the fraudulent documentation for the sale of the motorcycles. The revelation of such barbaric acts sends shockwaves through the community, underscoring the importance of swift justice and collective vigilance against such nefarious elements.
