Crime
Man’s Shocking Attempt To Use Son For Money Ritual Uncovered
The Zone 2 Police Command has apprehended a 50-year-old man from Benin Republic, Pome Banda, along with three accomplices, on suspicion of luring a nine-year-old boy from the same country with the intention of performing a money ritual.
According to Mr. Mohammed, during the course of their plot, the Zone 2 Criminal Investigation Department received information about the group’s activities.
As part of their operation, the police posed as a herbalist willing to assist them in using the boy for the money ritual.
Under this pretense, the operatives engaged in discussions with the boy’s father, Benjamin Balobi, who resides in Nigeria, as well as two Nigerian nationals, Segun Shile, and Ige Koshelu.
Mr. Banda left his hometown, Ajah Jakatome in Benin Republic, and arrived in Nigeria on May 30, 2023, with his son. He convinced the young boy that they were coming to secure a housemaid job for him.
Once in Nigeria, the boy was handed over to a man known as Baba Shina, who is currently on the run, to work as a house help.
Mr. Mohammed disclosed that following a month of living with Baba Shina, the boy was taken back to Cotonou, and a sum of N35,000 was given to his father in his presence, disguised as a salary to confuse the young boy.
Between June 17 and 23, Mr. Banda, after finalizing arrangements with the other suspects, brought the boy back from Benin Republic to Nigeria for the purpose of conducting a money-making ritual.
The four suspects involved in the crime were apprehended at Sango Ota in Ogun State, Nigeria, which was the presumed location of the native doctor they were working with. The suspects have all confessed to their involvement in the nefarious act.
The AIG stated that the four suspects involved in the crime were apprehended at Sango Ota in Ogun State, Nigeria, which was the presumed location of the native doctor they were working with.
He further said that the suspects have all confessed to their involvement in the nefarious act.
The authorities stated that the investigation is ongoing, and once it is completed, the suspects will be charged to court to face appropriate legal consequences for their actions.
During the interrogation at the Zone 2 Police Command Headquarters in Onikan, Lagos, the boy’s father, Mr. Banda who communicated through an interpreter confessed that he resorted to attempting a money ritual using his fifth child because of his impoverished condition.
In his quest to execute this sinister plan, he contacted his brother, Mr. Balobi, who resides in Nigeria, seeking his assistance in finding a job as a house help for his son.
However, Mr. Banda’s ulterior motive was to also involve his brother in the money ritual scheme.
Mr. Balobi managed to secure a person named Baba Shina to act as the master of the boy, who was to be employed as a house help.
Furthermore, Mr. Banda connected with a Nigerian individual named Ige Koshelu and discussed with him the specific details of what he wanted his son to do in relation to the money ritual.
He said he met Mr Koshelu in the Ilaro area of Ogun, who then contacted Mr Shile, who allegedly made arrangements for a herbalist in the Owode Yewa area in Ogun.
Mr Banda said Mr Shile became the middleman and coordinator between Mr Ige, himself and the suspected herbalist, who they never knew was a policeman.
On the part of Mr Balobi, the boy’s father called him to know what he was doing in Nigeria and wanted him to help get a place where his son would work as a house boy.
Mr Balobi said he told Mr Banda that the job he saw paid N5,000 salary monthly.
“It was later he opened up to me that he wanted to use his son for a money ritual; that is when I connected him with one Baba Shina, who is on the run now. The boy was taken to Baba Shina’s house,” he said.
According to Mr. Koshelu’s statement, when Mr. Banda brought his son from the Benin Republic, it was Baba Shina, the boy’s master in Nigeria, who contacted him. Baba Shina informed Mr. Koshelu about their plan to use the boy for a money ritual.
Mr. Koshelu, however, claimed that he had no knowledge or expertise in rituals. Despite this, he assured Mr. Banda and Baba Shina that he would try to help them by reaching out to a friend who might know a herbalist or be able to assist them in their quest for a money-making ritual.
He said “It was a friend of mine whom I contacted that promised to get someone for them in the Oja Odan area of Ogun, who finally helped them.
“It was that my friend who later took us to the herbalist’s house at Owode Yewa, and from Owode Yewa, we moved again to Sango to meet the herbalist. Unfortunately, we were arrested at the scene where the policemen were already waiting.”
The Ogun State Police Command has taken a 56-year-old man, Madarikan Emehinola, into custody in connection with a suspected arson incident that claimed the life of his 40-year-old wife, Igbagbo Erobe, in the Igbo-Edu area of Ogun Waterside Local Government Area.
The incident was reported at the Abigi Divisional Police Headquarters on Sunday, October 18, 2026, following information that a house had been set ablaze, resulting in the woman’s death.
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The Ogun State Police Command disclosed the development in a press release issued on Sunday, stating that the husband was in custody in connection with the incident.
The deceased’s body has been deposited at a mortuary for post-mortem examination to establish further details surrounding her death.
The police also disclosed that the case was being processed for transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation.
The Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, CP Bode Ojajuni, psc, FCSS, MNIPR, assured the public that the matter would be investigated diligently and professionally in accordance with the law.
According to the statement, the commissioner assured the public that “the matter will be investigated diligently and professionally in accordance with the law.”
Ojajuni reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, stressing that allegations of serious crimes would receive appropriate investigative attention.
The command also called on members of the public to report suspicious activities promptly and provide credible information that could assist crime prevention and ongoing investigations.
“The Command urges members of the public to report suspicious activities promptly and provide credible information that may assist crime prevention and ongoing investigations,” the statement read.
The circumstances surrounding the fire and the alleged involvement of the husband remain subject to investigation.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 85-year-old woman, Grace Ehimeka, after recovering 179 kilogrammes of skunk from her during anti-drug operations in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Ehimeka was among six suspects arrested during raids conducted by NDLEA operatives in the area as part of a series of nationwide operations targeting illicit drugs.
The operations in Edo State also led to the recovery of another 220.8 kilogrammes of skunk, alongside smaller quantities of cannabis and other controlled substances.
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The arrest was one of several recorded during the agency’s nationwide operations, which resulted in major drug seizures across multiple states.
In Lagos, the NDLEA seized 8,725 kilogrammes of tramadol hydrochloride powder worth over ₦6.98 billion at Apapa Port. The shipment, which originated from India, had been declared as maize starch.
The agency also intercepted cannabis concealed in palm oil at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. The consignment was allegedly intended for Saudi Arabia, while two suspects were arrested in connection with the case.
In Ondo State, operatives destroyed an estimated 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on three hectares of farmland and arrested five suspects.
Other seizures were recorded in Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory, including large quantities of tramadol, Exol-5 tablets and cannabis.
The operations formed part of the NDLEA’s ongoing efforts to disrupt the trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs across the country.
A 70-year-old man, Alhaji Saleh Kasim, has been killed during a bandit attack on Gamji Village in Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State, while 27 abducted residents have been rescued by security forces.
The Katsina State Government disclosed this in a press release issued on Saturday by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Nasir Mu’azu.
According to the statement, about 40 armed bandits, led by a suspected gang leader identified as Kachalla Alhaji Bawa Kabir, invaded the community in the early hours of October 16, 2026.
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The attackers reportedly arrived on 20 motorcycles, abducted 27 residents, mostly women, children and elderly people, and rustled six cows.
The government said Kasim was shot dead during the attack.
Following credible intelligence, troops of the 17 Brigade, working with local hunters and the Community Watch Corps, moved to block the attackers’ escape routes towards the Madaci forest enclave.
At about 6 p.m. on the same day, the troops engaged the bandits at Tashar Bawa forest and successfully rescued all 27 abducted residents.
The rescued victims were subsequently taken to the Machika Military Forward Operating Base for medical attention.
The statement added that joint security teams had commenced clearance operations to flush out the remaining members of the gang and prevent possible reprisal attacks on the community.
The Katsina State Government, under Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, reaffirmed its commitment to protecting residents across the state.
Mu’azu commended the troops and community-based security groups for their swift response to the incident.
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