Kwara Police arrest ritualist, fraudsters

Three persons who are thought to be ritualists and con artists were paraded by the Kwara State Command on Friday.

The suspected suspects are Mahmud Abdulraheem of Egbejila, Ilorin, a herbalist, Abubakar Bamidele of Lagos, and Odekunle Fawad, also from Lagos, according to Police Commissioner Mr. Paul Odama.

He said, “While on intelligence patrol of the Metropolis, Oc CP Monitoring section and his team around General Hospital Roundabout, Ilorin, accosted the above named suspects who were already in a commercial vehicle on transit to Lagos and on body search, assorted charms and other fetish items suspected to be for ritual purposes was recovered from them.

“Upon interrogation, it was revealed that the second and third suspects came from Lagos to Ilorin to meet the first suspect who is a herbalist to do money making charms for them. 

The two suspects from Lagos are internet scammers known as "Yahoo boys," it has already been verified. Before they were detained, they were en route to Lagos to finish the money-making ritual process.

In a related occurrence, two males, Adeniyi Wasiu and Habeeb Morufu, both 27 years old, were detained on suspicion of possessing narcotics and psychiatric drugs.

According to the Police Commissioner, the two were detained on May 23, 2010, at around 1100 hours, in the Tanke Oke odo Ilorin neighborhood of Alao Farm, Kwara State. During the investigation and search of the suspects' home, the detectives found some items that they suspect to be illegal drugs.

The psychoactive substances that were discovered included some weeds that were perhaps Indian hemp, some Tramadol sachets, eight bottles of codeine syrup, some ice sachets, one sachet of Refnol, some colorado sachets, and some skunk sachets.

"During questioning, the suspects admitted that they were the proprietors of the drugs and that they sold them to interested individuals in the public and students. An effort is being made to apprehend any fugitives.

"NDLEA would receive the suspects for a thorough investigation and prosecution.

Additionally, Odama presented five suspects, including Aluku Ridwan, Kabiru Fatai, Saadu Alubu, and two women, Aminah Muhammed and Zainab Lawal, who were allegedly members of a hidden cult and a ring of thieves.

He claimed that evidence found at their hideout, a black location near the Gambari/Oja Gboro area and Kokewu-Kobere area in Oja Gboro, where they spent the winter, comprised two knives, a quantity of dried plants thought to be Indian hemp, and hard narcotics thought to be ice.

The defendants were found to be members of covert cults who terrify local residents and rob them of other valuable possessions, according to the investigation.

At the completion of the inquiry, the Police Commissioner stated that all suspects would be charged in court.

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