The suspects

62 year-old farmer, identified as Mr Olomu, from Orhue community in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo state was murdered last week, after which his hunchback was severed from his body. The deceased reportedly hired some people to work on his farm but unknown to him, the labourers had been planning for three months to kill him so they can severe his hunchback and use it for money making rituals.

Read according to Vanguard:

Saturday Vanguard gathered from the confessions made by the suspects who were paraded by the Edo state Police Commissioner, Haliru Gwandu, that the idea to murder Olomu was mooted in a bar where the suspects went to have a drink some time last year. The ring leader of the group, Sunday Ajuma, on this particular day volunteered to work as a labourer in the farm of the deceased so as to get at him easily.

We believed hunchback would fetch us big money—Suspects

According to Ajuma, “Six of us planned it. The deceased asked me to go and wait for him along the road to the farm after I told him the previous day that I was interested in working in his farm. So he asked me to wake up early in the morning and meet him on road. So, at about 5am in the morning as he was passing by the road where I was waiting, I held his neck and strangulated him. I then took his cutlass and severed the spinal curvature from the body. After I severed the hunchback I met with other members of my group.

We then packaged the body, put it in a jerrican of honey to preserve it and put it in a bag before we proceeded on our way to Ifon, in Ondo state to see a native doctor who promised to use it to make money for us. The native doctor told us that if we could get the hunchback it would yield so much money that all of us would share.

But it was while we were heading to the native doctor’s place that policemen accosted us at Ose road who demanded to know the content of the bag we were carrying. We tried to bribe the policemen but they refused and insisted on searching the bag and that was how we were arrested”.

Following their arrest, the three suspects then took the police to the native doctor at Ifon where the man was arrested. However, the native doctor, Ogheneka who admitted telling the suspects about the possibility of making money by killing anyone with hunchback, denied ever sending them to kill.

How the suspects were apprehended—CP

Edo state police commissioner, Gwandu who paraded the suspects described the murder as barbaric and vowed to arrest fleeing members of the gang.

According to him, “The gentleman was killed by these spiritualists who wanted to make money but as they were taking the hunchback to the native doctor we apprehended them with guns. Other accomplices are Peter Alodo, Sunday Okolo and Philip Ogheneka and these people were neighbors to the deceased. Because they wanted money by all means they decided to kill the man who invited them to work in his farm. But God decided to punish them for their evil act when my men saw them on their way to Ifon and insisted on searching their bag.

 It was when the search was conducted that they saw the severed body of the deceased. That is why sometimes we conduct such searches because it helps a lot in busting these criminal activities. You can see how selfish people decided to kill another man to make money. And funny enough these people who did this were neighours to the deceased and they had been watching and monitoring the man because he had a hunchback.

They then intensified their plot after a native doctor told them that they could make big money if they got someone with a hunchback. They planned this for about three months until they executed it. The group leader, Ajuma volunteered to work in the deceased farm so that they could have the opportunity to commit their wicked act. We are still in search of two others involved in this and we will get them. As soon as we conclude investigations we will charge these people to court”.

Meanwhile the mutilated body of the deceased was buried at his village in Orhue, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo state.

 

Source: Vanguard