The Ogun state police command has apprehended a husband and wife, Lajuwon Ogunleye and Adetutu Apalaya, along with one Fatai Sefiu, on accusations of conspiring to kill their 7-year-old son, Pelumi Apalaya, for ritual purposes.
The suspicion arose from the neighbors when the young boy allegedly collapsed and died without any illness, leading to suspicions of ritualistic activities.
Following the suspicion, the community residents monitored the suspects as they took the boy to the bush for burial. Shockingly, it was discovered that the herbalist, who is the boy’s stepfather, his mother, and Sefiu, his father’s friend, harvested some body parts of the boy after burying him in a “standing position.”
Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Ogun State Police spokesperson, disclosed that the Divisional Police Officer for Abigi Division, Tarkighir Joseph, led the detectives to the bush in Iwopin area of Ijebu waterside where the suspects were apprehended.
Oyeyemi stated that “the suspects led policemen to where the victim was buried and it was discovered that the deceased was buried in standing position.” During interrogation, Fatai Sefiu confessed that the boy was used for a ritual by his stepfather in collaboration with the boy’s mother. He further revealed that the couple had planned this before involving him in the gruesome act.
Even though the victim’s mother, Adetutu Apalaya initially denied any knowledge of her husband’s plot to use her son for a ritual, she was speechless when asked about her presence during the burial of her son and the manner of his burial.
The Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, has instructed the transfer of the case to the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for further investigation and prosecution.