The Ondo State Police Command on Sunday said it had arrested no fewer than 18 individuals who had been terrorising the people of the state.

The suspects were allegedly involved in crimes such as robbery, murder, kidnapping, cultism and burglary.

The State Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Oladipo, while speaking at the command’s headquarters in Akure, the state capital; said the suspects were apprehended following the efforts of the command to ensure that the state was free from all forms of criminalities.

According to the CP, one of the suspects, Babalola Daniel, confessed to having killed five people including his friend, Opeyemi Oyelakin.

The CP said after killing the victims, the suspect would steal their commercial motorcycles and sell them.

The police boss added that Daniel was also involved in ritual activities as he allegedly cut parts of some of his victims’ bodies and sold them to herbalists. The commissioner said the herbalists too had also been arrested.

He said, “Sequel to the arrest of one Babalola Dolapo Daniel who led police detectives to a shallow grave at Okeigbo where the corpse of Opeyemi Oyelakin, a commercial motorcyclist was exhumed, other suspects have been arrested in connection with the case.

“Further investigation revealed that the suspect had killed four persons in various locations and stole their motorcycles. In April 2023, he killed a motorcyclist in Kabba, Kogi State, and Ife along Ilesha road in Osun State, and removed some parts from the corpses for rituals.

“In June 2023, he killed another motorcyclist in Ondo town and dumped the corpse on a farm at Oboto bush along Bolorunduro road, Ondo town, while in October 2023, the suspect and one Sikiru Mutiu aka S.K, deceived his childhood friend by the name Joel Olagoke, to take them with his motorcycle to a location where he was killed. His body dismembered and handed to herbalists; Mujeeb Lawal and Shina Ojo (both in police custody), for rituals.”

The CP added that “the duo of Abiola Toheeb and Ayegbajeje Micheal who are receivers of stolen items and one Oyediran Olaitan who helps in the production of fake documents to aid the selling of the stolen motorcycles have been arrested. Seven motorcycles have been retrieved from the receivers while one suspect is still at large.”

One of the suspects, Daniel, said I had “killed five persons including my cousin and my friend, and snatched their motorcycles. I killed Opeyemi who is my friend, and sold the motorcycle to a man in Ibadan called Toheed. I do not sell human parts but I took part of one of my victims’ bodies to an herbalist in Ondo who promised to give me an Ifa Oracle.”

Explaining how he operated, the suspect said in the process of snatching the motorcycles from the victims, he would hit them on the head with a stone or big stick.

“At the point where we snatch motorcycles, any victim who struggled with me in the process would be hit on his head with a big stone or a big stick,” he stated.

The police commissioner, who noted that seven of the stolen motorcycles have been retrieved, said the suspects would soon be charged in court.