Kwara State Police Command has arrested a suspected female ritualist in the Kulende area of Ilorin. 

Spokesperson of the command, Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the development in a statement, said that the arrest was made by the men of Kulende Divisional Police Headquarters, Ilorin in conjunction with members of the community in the early hours of Thursday, March 17. 

The suspect is currently being held at the state Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Kwara State Police headquarters for further investigations.

Ajayi said the suspect who appeared to be mentally unstable, had in her possession school uniforms, notebooks, textbooks and monies of different denominations, totalling N166,700:00 when she was arrested.

It was also gathered that a man in a black SUV Jeep was found with the suspect at about 6:00 am when she was arrested, and that the man zoomed off immediately he noticed the presence of the Police.

The woman, according to the police spokesman confessed that the fleeing man came to have sexual intercourse with her.

“Intelligence available to the Command prompted the surveillance mounted around the area which was the base of the suspected ritualist led to her arrest today 17/3/2022 at about 0600hrs,” the statement reads. 

“In the process of her arrest, a man in a black SUV Jeep found with the suspect zoomed off immediately he noticed the presence of the police.

“In the course of the arrest, school uniforms, notebooks, textbooks and monies of different denominations totalling one hundred and sixty-six thousand and seven hundred naira (#166,700:00) was found in her possession.

“The suspect stated that the man met with her as at the time of the arrest came to have sex with her and to give her water”, he said.

The PPRO said that efforts to arrest the fleeing man in the SUV by the Police were ongoing.

He said that the Commissioner of Police has ordered a discreet investigation into the matter, while also directing that the suspect be taken to the hospital to ascertain the condition of her mental health.

Meanwhile, a resident of the Kulende community, Mr Kudus Saheed, said the suspect had lived in a shanty on the roadside for about three years.