Category Archives: human trafficking

Nigeria: Ogun State police parade 18 suspected criminals including two ritual killers

Posted on by

Warning: the following post contains graphic details which may upset readers

Ogun State has a notorious reputation with respect to ritualistic killings (‘money rituals’). On many occasions in the past I have paid attention to the scourge of ritual related violence in this southwestern state of Nigeria.

Reportedly, there were at least15 victims of ritualistic murders in Ogun State in 2023. In January and February 2024 I published five postings on money-ritual related news – see my posts dated January 2, Ogun State Police to embark on campaign against rise in ritual murders in 2024, January 3, Commissioner of Police in Ogun State,: “Ritual killings are the most disturbing trend of criminal activity in the state” and January 11 Nigeria: Ogun State Police Chief on how to tackle ritual killing in the state. In February, Ogun State: a hotbed of ritual crimes. However, I reported here far from all ritual related crimes occurring in Ogun State, other states in Nigeria and other countries on the continent demanding attention too.

Nigeria consist of 36 states. Ogun State has a surface area of only 16,762 km2 ranking 24th. The state borders Oyo State in the north, Osun State and Ondo State in the east and Lagos State in the south. It shares its western border with the neighboring republic of Benin. With an estimated population of 6.5 million people (2024), predominantly Yoruba, Ogun State is one of the most populated states in the southwestern part of Nigeria ranking 13th nationwide. Its capital Abeokuta is the state’s most populous city (about one million).

Early January, at the start of 2025, Ogun State Police Command has paraded 18 suspected criminals for various crimes ranging from murder, kidnapping, human trafficking, and ritual killings among other crimes at different locations in the state.
(….)
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Lanre Ogunlowo noted that last month (December 2024) the command also arrested 45-year-old twins, Yemitan Taiwo and Yemitan Kehinde for allegedly killing and dismembering a female around the Lafenwa area of Abeokuta for ritual purposes. (See the last article below).

The police spokesman also used the occasion to warn against the dangers of the growing “hookup culture,” especially for young women who engage in casual relationships with unfamiliar men for financial gain. I will return to this specific topic with a special posting in the near future.

The case of the twin brothers implicated in the murder of a sex worker for ritualistic purposes is presented below in full details.
(webmaster FVDK).

Ogun State police parade 18 suspected criminals

Published: January 7, 2025
By: Oluwatoyin Adegoke – Web News, Radio Nigeria Ibadan

Ogun State Police Command has paraded 18 suspected criminals for various offences ranging from murder, kidnapping, human trafficking, and ritual killings among other crimes at different locations in the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Lanre Ogunlowo while parading the suspects at the Police headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta attributed the success recorded to the provision of an Armed Personnel Carrier, and drone by Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun.

Mr Ogunlowo pointed out that among those paraded included 31-year-old Tolani Jeremiah, 20-year-old Akande Suru and 24-year-old Edwin Jatto who allegedly hacked the WhatsApp account belonging to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni of State CID, Eleweran and defrauded the victim’s family and friends of the sum of one million one hundred and fifteen thousand nairas under the false pretence that the victim needed urgent financial assistance. 

He noted that the command also arrested 45-year-old twins, Yemitan Taiwo and Yemitan Kehinde for allegedly killing and dismembering a female around the Lafenwa area of Abeokuta for ritual purposes.

The Police Commissioner solicited cooperation and support in the collective effort to keep Ogun State safe and peaceful.

Mr Ogunlowo appealed to the residents of the state to provide the police with timely information to aid their efforts in preventing and addressing criminal activities.

Source: Ogun Police Parade 18 Suspected Criminals

Read also:

Ogun State Police arrest twin brother of ritualist for murder & mutilation of female victim

Published: January 1, 2025
By: Mister Jay Wonder – Gistmania, Nigeria

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested Kehinde Yemitan, the twin brother of Taiwo Yemitan, who was previously apprehended in connection with the ritualistic murder of a female victim, Darasimi. Kehinde was arrested on Monday, December 30, 2024, after a tip-off led authorities to his hiding place in the Ilogbo community.

Taiwo Yemitan, along with an accomplice, Kazeem, was arrested on Sunday, December 22, 2024, for the gruesome killing of Darasimi, a female night worker. The trio allegedly lured the victim to Taiwo’s residence, located behind Atinsola petrol station in the Sanni area of Abeokuta, where they killed her for ritual purposes. The police had previously discovered a fresh human head and dismembered body parts believed to belong to Darasimi.

According to Ogun State Police spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, Kehinde was tracked down following a report from a volunteer informant. The informant provided valuable information that led to Kehinde’s location in the Ilogbo community. The police, in collaboration with the So Safe Corps, promptly launched a manhunt and apprehended him.

During questioning, Kehinde admitted to conspiring with his twin brother Taiwo and Kazeem to carry out the heinous crime. Local community members also confirmed his involvement in other criminal activities. Kehinde has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

The police have once again issued a public warning regarding the dangers of the growing “hookup culture,” especially for young women who engage in casual relationships with unfamiliar men for financial gain. SP Odutola stressed that women should seek sustainable means of income and be cautious of falling into similar dangerous situations.

In light of this tragic event, the Ogun State Police Command has intensified efforts to raise awareness about the risks young women face in such engagements. Authorities are urging caution, especially as the investigation into Kehinde’s role in the crime continues.

Further updates will be provided as the case progresses. The police have appealed to young women to view this incident as a cautionary tale and remain vigilant to avoid falling victim to similar ritual killings.

Source: Ogun Police Arrest Twin Brother of Ritualist For Murder & Mutilation Of Female Victim

Twin brothers kill, dismember sex worker in Ogun State

Published: January 1, 2025
By: James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta – Vanguard, Nigeria

Operatives of Ogun State Police command, on Tuesday, said it arrested one Kehinde Yemitan, a murder and ritualist suspect at his hiding in Ilogbo Ota community of Ogun State.

The suspect’s twin brother, Taiwo had earlier been arrested on December 22 alongside one Kazeem for the alleged murder and dismembering of one Darasimi.

The victim is a commercial sex worker, who was lured to the suspects’ Abeokuta residence and killed.

The spokesperson of the state police command, Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

Odutola said, “Having been fingered as one of the accomplices to the tragic crime, the police surveillance team in collaboration with the So Safe Corps were said to have been on the look out for Kehinde until intelligence gave out his hideout on Monday.

“On December 30, 2024, at about 5 p.m., the Divisional Police Officer of Sango Otta received a tip from a volunteer informant indicating that Kehinde Yemitan, the twin brother of Taiwo Yemitan, was hiding in the Ilogbo community.

“The Police launched a manhunt for Kehinde in connection with murder and the mutilation of one Darasimi, surname unknown, on the 22nd of December, 2024 when his twin brother, Taiwo, and Kazeem were arrested at about 1 p.m., by the Divisional Police Officer of Lafenwa after the duo lured their victim Darasimi, a night sex worker in Abeokuta to their house for ritual purposes.

“Following this information, a surveillance team, in collaboration with the So Safe Corps, promptly mobilized to the community and apprehended the suspect.

“Several community members also confirmed his involvement in criminal activities.”

Yemitian was said to have been been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation.

Meanwhile, Odutola has urged young women to desist from engaging in casual friendship or relationship for pecuniary gains otherwise called “hookup’, given the perennial danger inherent in such unholy relationship.

The police spokesperson urged parents to also join the police in raising awareness about the danger of getting involved in vices such as prostitution that could readily cut people’s life short.

She said, “A further appeal goes to the teeming young females to see this unfortunate incident as a big lesson and be cautious not to fall victim to another ritual killing.”

Source: Twin brothers kill, dismember sex worker in Ogun

And:

Ogun police apprehend 3 for murdering sex worker

Published: January 1, 2025
By: TSJ Reporter 2 – Street Journal, Nigeria

Officers of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested two brothers whose names are Taiwo and Kehinde Yemitan alongside a man identified as Kazeem for murdering and dismembering the remains of a sex worker identified as Darasimi in Ilogbo, Ado-Odo/Ota local government area (LGA) Ogun State.

This was revealed via a statement by the state’s police spokesperson Superintendent (SP) Omolola Odutola on Tuesday, December 31.

She noted that Darasimi was lured to the residence of Kehinde in Abeokuta, where she was killed and her body parts were dismembered.

The statement read, “Having been fingered as one of the accomplices to the tragic crime, the police surveillance team, in collaboration with the So Safe Corps, was on the lookout for Kehinde until intelligence revealed his hideout on Monday.

“On December 30, 2024, at about 5 p.m., the Divisional Police Officer of Sango Otta received a tip from a volunteer informant indicating that Kehinde Yemitan, the twin brother of Taiwo Yemitan, was hiding in the Ilogbo community.

“The Police launched a manhunt for Kehinde in connection with the murder and mutilation of one Darasimi, surname unknown, on the 22nd of December, 2024, when his twin brother, Taiwo, and Kazeem were arrested at about 1 p.m. by the Divisional Police Officer of Lafenwa after the duo lured their victim Darasimi, a night sex worker in Abeokuta, to their house for ritual purposes.

“Following this information, a surveillance team, in collaboration with the So Safe Corps, promptly mobilised the community and apprehended the suspect.”

Odutola mentioned that the suspect confessed to collaborating with others to commit the crime in Abeokuta, noting that several local residents had also verified his involvement in criminal activities.

She then stated that the suspects have been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Eleweran, Ogun State for further questioning.

The police spokesperson then urged young women to exercise caution and avoid participating in ‘hookups’ or other reckless behaviors to prevent falling victim to ritual killings and other crimes.

She also called on parents and guardians to collaborate with the police in raising awareness about the risks of prostitution.

“A further appeal goes to the teeming young females to see this unfortunate incident as a big lesson and be cautious not to fall victim to another ritual killing,” the statement concluded.

Source: Ogun police apprehend 3 for murdering sex worker

And:

Police nab twins, 1 other over murder of sex worker in Ogun State

Published: January 1, 2025
By: Remi Adebayo – Leadership, Nigeria

Two brothers, Taiwo and Kehinde Yemitan as well as one Kazeem have been apprehended by the operatives of the Ogun State Police Command over their involvement in the killing and dismembering a sex worker identified as Darasimi in Ogun State.

Kehinde was arrested in his hiding at the Ilogbo area of Ota in the Ado-Odo/Ota local government area of the state after the arrest of his accomplice, Taiwo.

The commercial sex worker, Darasimi, was reported to have been lured to the suspects’ Abeokuta home, where she was killed and dismembered.

Spokesperson of the Ogun State Police Command, SP Omolola Odutola, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday said the victim, Darasimi was lured to the residence of the suspects in Abeokuta where she was murdered and her remains dismembered.

According to the state’s police image maker, “Having been fingered as one of the accomplices to the tragic crime, the police surveillance team, in collaboration with the So Safe Corps, was on the lookout for Kehinde until intelligence revealed his hideout on Monday.

“On December 30, 2024, at about 5 p.m., the Divisional Police Officer of Sango Otta received a tip from a volunteer informant indicating that Kehinde Yemitan, the twin brother of Taiwo Yemitan, was hiding in the Ilogbo community.

“The Police launched a manhunt for Kehinde in connection with the murder and mutilation of one Darasimi, surname unknown, on the 22nd of December, 2024, when his twin brother, Taiwo, and Kazeem were arrested at about 1 p.m. by the Divisional Police Officer of Lafenwa after the duo lured their victim Darasimi, a night sex worker in Abeokuta, to their house for ritual purposes.

“Following this information, a surveillance team, in collaboration with the So Safe Corps, promptly mobilised the community and apprehended the suspect.”

Odutola, in the statement said the suspect admitted to conspiring with others to carry out the crime in Abeokuta, adding that several community members also confirmed his involvement in criminal activities.

According to the Odutola, the suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, for further investigation.

The PPRO warned young women to be more cautious and desist from engaging in “hookups” and other indecent ways of life to avoid becoming victims of ritual killings and other crimes.

She further appealed to parents and guardians to join hands with the police in sensitising the public about the dangers of prostitution.

“A further appeal goes to the teeming young females to see this unfortunate incident as a big lesson and be cautious not to fall victim to another ritual killing,” she said.

Source: Police Nab Twins, 1 Other Over Murder Of Sex Worker In Ogun

And:

Ogun sex worker killed, dismembered by twin brothers

Published: January 1, 2025
By: Anthony Ufo – The Guardian

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested two brothers, Taiwo and Kehinde Yemitan, for allegedly killing and dismembering a sex worker, Darasimi, in Ogun State. 

One of the suspects, Kehinde, was arrested while hiding in the Ilogbo area of Ota in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State. Before then, his accomplice, Taiwo, had already been arrested by the police.

The commercial sex worker, Darasimi, was reported to have been lured to the suspects’ Abeokuta home, where she was killed and dismembered. 

SP Omolola Odutola, the Ogun State Police spokesperson, made this known to the public in a statement on Tuesday. 

Odutola said, “Having been fingered as one of the accomplices to the tragic crime, the police surveillance team, in collaboration with the So Safe Corps, was on the lookout for Kehinde until intelligence revealed his hideout on Monday. 

“On December 30, 2024, at about 5 p.m., the Divisional Police Officer of Sango Otta received a tip from a volunteer informant indicating that Kehinde Yemitan, the twin brother of Taiwo Yemitan, was hiding in the Ilogbo community. 

“The Police launched a manhunt for Kehinde in connection with the murder and mutilation of one Darasimi, surname unknown, on the 22nd of December, 2024, when his twin brother, Taiwo, and Kazeem were arrested at about 1 p.m. by the Divisional Police Officer of Lafenwa after the duo lured their victim Darasimi, a night sex worker in Abeokuta, to their house for ritual purposes. 

“Following this information, a surveillance team, in collaboration with the So Safe Corps, promptly mobilized the community and apprehended the suspect.

“He admitted to conspiring with others to carry out the crime in Abeokuta. 

“Several community members also confirmed his involvement in criminal activities.” 

The suspects, according to the spokesperson, have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, for further investigation of the case. 

Odutola also advised young women to be more careful and desist from engaging in “hookups” and other indecent ways of life to avoid becoming victims of ritual killings and other crimes. She also appealed to parents and guardians to join hands with the police in sensitising the public about the dangers of prostitution. 

“A further appeal goes to the teeming young females to see this unfortunate incident as a big lesson and be cautious not to fall victim to another ritual killing,” she said.

Source: Ogun sex worker killed, dismembered by twin brothers

First announcement by the Ogun State police (late December 2024) confirming the arrest of Taiwo Yemitan for the unlawful possession of human body parts, including a severed head, following the brutal murder of a woman:

Ogun State police nab suspected ritualist,Taiwo Yemitan, for murder & human body parts possession

Published: December 22, 2024
By: Bolah / Mister Jay Wonder – Gist Mania, Nigeria

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 45-year-old man, Taiwo Yemitan, for the unlawful possession of human body parts, including a severed head, following the brutal murder of a woman identified as Darasimi.  

Yemitan was apprehended at approximately 1:40 AM on Sunday in the Lafenwa area of Abeokuta after a tip-off from local security groups, including the Agbekoya and Vigilante operatives. The suspect is accused of luring Darasimi to his residence with the intent to kill her.  

Police spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the arrest and provided further details in a statement. According to Odutola, Yemitan admitted to murdering Darasimi and implicated two accomplices, identified as Kehinde Yemitan and one Kazeem, who remain at large. The motive for the killing was to sell the victim’s body parts, including her head.  

Odutola further stated that the dismembered body had been taken to the State General Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta, where it is undergoing a post-mortem examination. Yemitan is set to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation. Efforts are also underway to apprehend his accomplices and locate the victim’s relatives.  

This tragic incident follows a similar case earlier this year, where a suspect, Azeez Adebayo, confessed to the murders of three women whom he and his accomplices lured through an online dating site.  

The police spokesperson urged young women to exercise caution when using online platforms and be aware of the dangers associated with meeting strangers on social media. Odutola advised women to prioritize their safety and use social media’s positive aspects to enhance their well-being.

Source: Police Nab Suspected Ritualist,Taiwo Yemitan In Ogun For Murder & Human Body Parts Possession

Southern Africa: shocking details of ‘muti’ murders

Posted on by

Warning: the following article contains graphic details, the reader may find the article shocking.

The following article from Eric Naki, the Political Eitor of The Citizen, a South African online news magazine, contains several frank observations which are worth specifically mentioning here.

First, Naki, citing an expert on ritual murders, Dr Alunamutwe Rannditsheni, from Limpopo province, tells us that ritual murders are a worldwide phenomenon, occurring not only in Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa. I am very happy with this expert-observation even though it results in mixed feelings because of its sad contents. I have also mentioned it in my introduction to this website on ritual killing, witchcraft and superstition in African countries (‘Why publish this site‘).

Secondly, reportedly, kidnappings, human trafficking, and ritual murders, often referred to as ‘muti murders’, are well-known crimes in nearly all 16 member-states of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).  This is shocking. The combined population living in the 16 SADC-countries totals about 300 million people.

Lastly, the well-informed author confirms the ghastly details of the way muti murders are committed. Organs or other body parts are extracted live from the poor and helpless victims, not seldom children. The reality is sometimes too hard to describe and too revolting to imagine.

Ritual murders, human trafficking, kidnappings, and associated fear and torture are a plague in many African countries and must stop immediately. To the governments which have a sacred obligation to protect their citizens I would say: ‘If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.’ (webmaster FVDK).

Muti murders: ‘Genitals only work if cut from live victims’

Published: May 20, 2021
By: The Citizen, South Africa – Eric Naki

Victims were lured with promises of jobs, but when they arrived at the destination, they would be abducted and taken away to have their body parts cut off.

An expert on ritual murders, Dr Alunamutwe Rannditsheni, from Limpopo, said ritual killings were a worldwide phenomenon and not only an African problem.

Almost all of the SADC countries experienced ritual killing-related kidnappings and human trafficking.

A 2008 investigation by the Human Rights League in Mozambique found such murders were rife in the country. It found people were trafficked between countries with the purpose to remove parts to be trafficked separately.

The league, which interviewed survivors, eye-witnesses, families of victims and civil society in Mozambique and South Africa, found body parts were forcibly removed from children and adults, causing death or severe disability.

“Throughout the report, informants share personal experiences, which confirm that body parts are taken across the border between South Africa and Mozambique.”

A custom’s official in Sofala province, Mozambique, said: “They say the treatments with genital organs only work if they are taken from a person alive.”

In some instances in Mozambique, victims were beheaded before the parts were removed.

“The murderer cut her throat like she was a goat. He cut her head just like that and removed her genital organs, leaving all the rest,” the report quoted a police officer at Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique as saying.

In another case, a female stall holder at Ressano Garcia on the border with South Africa was fingered for ritual murders.

“The police searched and found that she was carrying genital organs of adult men … I don’t know how many exactly, it was several. But they were from adult men, I saw them myself,” an officer said.

Cases of muti killings were also reported in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi and Tanzania. People living with albinism were the main targets in Tanzania.

Community leader and businessman Phumudzo Mukhwati alleged the ritual murder gangs had spread to provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West and Gauteng.

Victims were lured with promises of jobs, but when they arrived at the destination, they would be abducted and taken away to have their body parts cut off in Limpopo or a neighbouring country.

Source: Muti murders: ‘Genitals only work if cut from live victims’

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) comprises 16 Member States: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Organ trafficking on the rise in Nigeria

Posted on by

The article reproduced below contains some horrifying data. It is being estimated that currently about 1.3 million people are living in slavery in Nigeria. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has raised an alarm over the increase in organ harvesting in Nigeria. ‘Organ harvesting’ – as it is being called euphemistically – goes hand-in-hand with murder which is often treated as ritualistic murder by police officers. The scaring example of the fate of the ten-month old baby who was rescued recently (see article below) illustrates that law enforcement people as well as ordinary citizens should be vigilant. Moreover, those who order the heinous crimes should be apprehended and put on trial. And – as has been said repeatedly on this site – superstition should be eradicated from society by broad information campaigns and nationwide and universal education (webmaster FVDK).

Organ traffficking on the rise in Nigeria – NAPTIP

Published: March 15, 2020
By: The Nation (Nigeria) –  Grace Obike, Abuja 

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has raised an alarm over the increase in organ harvesting in the country.

The Director General NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, explained that her agency will be concentrating more on the issue this year.

She said that in the last year, cases of Nigerians being trafficked to countries like Oman, Dubai, Lebanon etc have been on the increase. She said this in Abuja at the grand finale of the Not For Sale Campaign, a human trafficking enlightenment programme.

Okah-Donli added that the agency is considering creating a human trafficking registry that will carry the names and information of people convicted of human trafficking in the country.

Her words, “We don’t believe that the traffickers of persons or migration by Nigerians is reducing because people go to new countries now, so for me the issue of the figures dropping, I am not really sure about it.

I would say that there was a deal made between the EU and Libya to stop immigrants from crossing which is what has led to a reduced number of people taking the Libyan route but not necessarily because the figures are dropping.

“In the last one year, so many cases of people going to new countries, back in the days we did not know of migrations to Oman, Abu-Dhabi, Dubai, Lebanon etc, now there is so much illegal mass recruitment for so-called jobs to these countries and it is really huge but we are doing our best to ensure that we curb it. We are thinking of opening a traffickers’ registry to name and shame traffickers in the country.

“There is this the area that is not often looked into which NAPTIP is looking into addressing this year and it is the area of organ harvesting because people are just getting away with murder.

As long as I am concerned, I have this hunch that a lot of harvesting is going on but unfortunately some law enforcement agencies just rule it as ritual killings.

Last week, a ten-month old baby was rescued, they had taken out one of his eyeballs and they were about to take out the second eye when the two guys were caught.

“The police arrested him and we have been trying to get them to hand them over to us so that we can get to the root of the matter.

I want to know who wants those eye balls, what those eyeballs where meant for and where they were going to. We have to look into this very aggressively and we are going to be concentrating more on them.”

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said that currently about 1.3 million people are living in slavery in Nigeria.

Her words, “Human trafficking is one of the world’s most horrible global problems and we must all work together to stop this horrible scourge. Nigeria is a country that has particular challenge on modern slavery and human trafficking.

Up to 74% of the population is vulnerable, which is particularly due to poverty, culture, family pressure, peer pressure etc. This has led people especially from Edo and Delta states being vulnerable.

“When Nigeria returned migrants from Libya, it was realised that in 2016, 65% of the migrants in Libya where from Nigeria. We also have to confront the fact that there are up to 1.3 million people living in slavery in Nigeria which is a problem domestically as well.

The campaign has been really successful, reaching out to young people, especially women, and trying to show them there is an alternative. 88% of young women and 93% of family members had a positive reaction to the campaign.

Now we find out that 83% of young women in Edo State nurse starting a business as a huge career option for them. 57% intends to start their business in the next three years while 52% have been involved in training that will help them start a business.”

Source: Organ traffficking on the rise in Nigeria – NAPTIP