A 35-year-old suspected ritualist, Ifasoji Ayangbesan, has said his lawyer instructed him to source for the sum of N10 million to bribe the police in order to evade arrest.
Ayangbesan who was accused of attempting to bribe policemen with N1 million to evade arrest over the alleged killing of one Adeyemi for a money ritual made this known on Wednesday.
He denied participating in the killing of the victim but admitted that he bought a pair of fresh human legs for money rituals at the rate of N20,000.
Ayangbesan made the confession when he was paraded alongside other 12 suspects at the state Police command headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
The victim was reportedly killed on January 28, 2023, by Ayangbesan and other members of a notorious ritualist syndicate.
He and his members have been alleged to have killed and dismembered the body of Adeyemi, and then sold to some people.
While other members have been arrested, Ayangbesan ran away but was later arrested by policemen.
Speaking during the parade, Ayangbesan, who is a resident of the Iloti axis of the Ijebu-Ode local government area of Ogun state, claimed that he was a herbalist and not a ritualist.
He said, he only obtained the legs from his friend Lukman, who he claimed to him that he exhumed severed body parts from a cemetery
He stated that he had already burnt the legs in anticipation of the ritual concoction, but, was arrested by the police after his partner in crime who had been caught by the police earlier, mentioned his involvement.
He said “I indeed bought two fresh human legs, but I was not involved in the murder of the victim. I was approached by my friend, Lukman, who told me he had a pair of legs to sell.
”Though I told him I did not need them, he convinced me to use them for the ritual to better my life, and I agreed.
“I, however, told him I did not know how to make money rituals as I was not taught that as a traditionalist. He then referred me to his friend from Oye, popularly known as Egbeji in Isiwo.
“After I was taught how to go about it, I burnt the legs and kept them in my house with plans to complete the ritual when I returned from Ajah because I had a job to do there.
“However, my daughter called me while I was at Ajah that the police had come to the house looking for me. So, I later sneaked in and took away the burnt legs so that I would not be caught with any evidence because I heard that Lukman had been arrested and he had mentioned my involvement in the case.”
When confronted with the allegation of bribing police, Ayangbesan said that a lawyer had instructed him to provide N10 million to secure his release, but he was only able to gather N1 million.
He also mentioned that he was arrested when he went to deliver the money to the lawyer.
He said, “I did not offer the police any bribe. When I heard that the police were on the lookout for me, a lawyer told me to get N10 million to set myself free, but I told him I could not raise the money.
”However, I was able to raise N1 million. Unfortunately for me, the lawyer claimed that I had informed someone about him asking me for money.
”He then instructed me to place the money in front of him and he took a picture, and then I was arrested. I never offered police money.”
Other suspects paraded include five suspected cultists, eight armed robbers, and one serial killer from Abeokuta and its environs.
While parading the suspects, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olanrewaju Oladimeji, said the arrest was a result of a joint strategic effort to deal with criminal elements in the state after he was briefed about the crime situation in the state.
Speaking on the suspected ritualist, Oladimeji said he would soon be charged in court like other members of the gang.
Oladimeji also explained that other suspects were arrested following teamwork by the officers in the command.
