THE decomposing remains of a 21-year-old student hitherto declared missing, Morenikeji Owolabi, were found yesterday in a shrine at Eposo village, Ishara, Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Owolabi, a student of Science Laboratory Technology Department of the Gateway Polytechnic, Saapade, who hailed from Ekiti State, went missing some few days ago.
Her dismembered and decomposing remains were found at a shrine by policemen.
She was allegedly lured to the shrine by an herbalist, Femi Awise.
Awise, a native of Isara, is said to be on the run. But five persons suspected to be working for him, including a motorcyclist, who conveyed Owolabi to the shrine, and Awise’s apprentice have been arrested.
The suspects are Adeyemi Ademolu (cyclist), Omolaso Taiwo(Awise’s apprentice), Lateef Ali, Akinyemi Dare and Sokoya Wasiu.
According to Ademolu, the victim spoke with Awise twice seeking directions to the shrine on their way there.
Commissioner of Police Valentine Ntomchukwu led some reporters to the shrine tucked inside a forest.
He said investigation had started to show how the victim was killed.
The victim’s decaying legs were exhumed from a shallow grave, a few metres from the shrine.
Her head, breasts and private part are yet to be discovered.
The cubicle- size shrine, made of corrugated iron sheets, was strewn with scary fetish objects, bottles of palm oil, knives, plates and a pot filled with smelly boiled human flesh.
Ntomchukwu said: “What we want to tell the public is that they should monitor the movement of their wards and children, especially when they are left in school and other public institutions.
“They should always keep watch over their children, call them regularly and when they don’t see them, they should quickly report to the police.
“If we had received this report on time, we would have been able to trace this lady.
“By the time we got the report, we now started scouting for information, only to arrest the motorcyclist who brought her to the shrine.
“It was from the motorcyclist that we were able to gather that she was taken to this area and by discreet investigation, we were able to discover this shrine.
“We don’t know how long this shrine has been in existence but we assure you that this particular nefarious activity would be put to an end.”
The Local Government chairman, Femi Soyemi, said he never believed such savagery could exist in his domain.
Soyemi said: “I am shocked because I never expected that this kind of horrible and brutal thing exists here.”
Also, a 40-year-old suspected kidnapper , Emeka Obi, was arrested by the police for the kidnapping of 97-year-old Iposiola Samaiye.
Obi, a member of a kidnapping ring in Ijebuland, confessed that his accomplice, Prince, escaped when the police closed in on them.
Ntomchukwu told reporters that Obi and members of his gang kidnapped Pa Samaiye from his home in Ijebu-Isire last Thursday, and demanded a ransom for his release but the police trailed them to the forest where the victim was held.
He said: “They held the 97-year-old man inside the bush without food for four days. “
“But our men were tracking them and between 3am and 5am yesterday morning we were able to arrest them and free the old man.”
According to him, Pa Samaiye is receiving treatment at a private hospital in Ijebu Ode.