“These were the words of Samuel Olatunji, paraded by the police authorities, last week, in Akure, the Ondo State capital, for the ritual killing of a 25-year old, Adeoye Dovo, a  hunchback. Adeoye was an SSS3 student in a private school and lived with his parents at Bashorun Quarters at Ago-Alaye area in Odigbo local government area of the state.“The  suspects-three of them -  wanted to get rich by all means,  they were ready to kill to achieve this purpose.“Olatunji said they wanted to enjoy the good things of life after seeing their mates who come from  the cities during festivities to the village with big cars and beautiful girls.“So they approached a herbalist, Oluwatosin Elebile for money ritual.

“The herbalist, who is equally in police net, was said to have told them  to look for a  hunchback with a condition that the position of the victim’s deformity should be in the chest.“It was not difficult for the suspects to zero-in on a victim. They immediately set in motion plans to get the victim; they resolved that a beautiful girl would do the magic. And it actually did as the deceased fell for the bait without any inkling that he was being lured to the slaughter house.

“Because of his deformity, Adeoye had very few friends and was not the toast of girls in Ago-Alaye. So when he was approached by a beautiful lady who later  spent the night with him, he saw it as a life time opportunity but not knowing that death was lurking around. He was ambushed by members of the group who strangled him and then took his body into the deep forest for the operation to remove his hunchback for the money rituals.

“The death of the Adeoye led to violent reaction from youths in the community who set ablaze vehicles and houses of the suspected ritualists.“Parading the suspects – Olatunji and the harbalist Ondo State police commissioner, Sani Mogaji, said  Olatunji had confessed to the ritual killing.“The commissioner said that the father of the victim reported that his son was kidnapped and that, during interrogation, it was discovered that the abduction was carried out by the Olatunji group.

The two other suspects, Dayo and Holo, are on the run.“Giving more insight into the murder, Olatunji said Dayo, Holo and himself committed the crime in the forest of Oniparaga.

“We contacted a herbalist on how to make fast money  and he  assured us that if we could bring hunchback for the rituals, we would become rich.  We immediately swung into action by employing a lady to lure Adeoye to the bush and we killed him before removing the hunchback”, the suspect said.““We kept the hunch back in a plastic and hid it in the bush but the police traced us.

I was apprehended while others ran away. Before we got to where we kept the hunch, they had taken it away;  I suspect  my friends took it away in order not to leave any trace.”“The police chief said that detectives discovered the corpse of the victim in the forest with the hunchback ”neatly” removed and the rest of the body covered with clothes.“Mogaji added that the killing was in connivance with the herbalist.

“He pointed out that the corpse was removed and deposited at a private hospital mortuary in Ore.“But the herbalist denied asking the suspects to kill the victim.

He, however, agreed that they consulted him on some  issues. “Speaking with Sunday Vanguard, the mother of the deceased, Mrs Lydia Dovo, said his son was very brilliant and that he was the only son of her six children.“Lydia pointed out: “I went through series of ordeals to bring him up; he only started walking when he attained the age of 12”.“She called on security operatives in the state to bring to book those behind the murder of his son.“



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