Suspected ritualist rapes woman to death, burns corpse

The police in Kwara State have arrested a suspect, Atolagbe Yemi Oje, for allegedly killing a mother of one for ritual purposes.

The victim, Mayowa Ajiboye, is a palm oil seller and resident of Omu-Aran.

She was allegedly raped to death, her corpse burnt and the remains dumped inside a river by the suspect.

Speaking on the incident at the weekend, the state police commissioner, Victor Olaiya, described the suspect as “a monster” and the act “barbaric”.

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According to him, the victim initially paid N1, 600 to the suspect last November to help fetch firewood in the forest to cook her palm fruit which he refused to supply.

Olaiya said however on February 22, 2024, the victim and her young daughter, Ope, went to gather firewood in the bush and met Oje who, upon sighting them, immediately joined them in gathering firewood.

“He asked the deceased’s daughter to carry some of the firewood to where it will be used to prepare the palm fruit and asked the mother (deceased) to follow him inside the bush to gather more to perfect his sinister motive. 

“After they have both gone far into the bush, the suspect suddenly held both legs of the deceased from behind while she was receiving phone call and she fell down. But she managed to use the stick in her hand to hit the suspect on his neck in defence.

“He collected the stick and used it to hit her severely on the head and she fell unconscious. He then raped her, cut some hair from her vagina, clean the semen and blood from her private part with white handkerchief for money ritual purpose, slaughter her with her cutlass and set her remains on fire before dragging the burnt body to a river to conceal it,” he said. 

The CP said that the suspect hid the deceased’s phone in the bush and threw away the sim/memory card and battery, adding that he confessed killing the deceased after raping her to avoid being exposed.

The police boss said investigation into the case is ongoing and the suspect will be charged to court once completed.