The ritual killing of Favour Daley-Oladele

IT is concerning that varsity-trained students and indeed some well-educated youths in the country are going back to primitive recidivism with an equally unsettling tinge of barbarity. It shows that these are scoundrels and not university material in the first place. This disturbing propensity to do evil   among some Nigerian youths is exemplified by  the recent heart-wrenching and life-terminating treatment of a young lady in the hands of her boyfriend and his accomplices which has once again brought to the fore the frightening level of moral decadence in the society.  Favour Daley-Oladele, a student of the Lagos State University, Ojoo, had reportedly visited her boyfriend, Adeeko Owolabi, at Ikoyi Ile in Osun State.  The visit, which was at the instance of the boyfriend who had a sinister agenda, was apparently unknown to the parents who had to report the disappearance of their daughter at Mowe Police station, Ogun State, after two weeks.

But by that time, the irreversible damage had been done because Adeeko had allegedly killed his girlfriend in a gruesome fashion for money ritual. The young woman was killed in a very callous manner: a pestle was used to smash her head while she was asleep before the lover boy and his accomplice, one Pastor Segun Phillips, began to harvest her organs, including her heart which was also removed to prepare a concoction. It is unclear when this madness of ritual killing descended upon the country’s socioeconomic space, but it surely has gained ground among the youths who have more or less turned into insensitive, unfeeling and cold-blooded criminals ready to do just anything for filthy lucre.

Few years ago, a similar scenario played out in Ondo State when a lover boy killed his girlfriend who was a daughter of a prominent politician and former top political office-holder in the state. He killed the hapless girl and buried her remains under his bed. It took the strength of character of a selfless and courageous father to report the atrocious act of his son to the law enforcement agencies; otherwise, the matter would perhaps have remained unresolved till date. That is why the instant case is rather puzzling and worrying because a pastor and the mother of the prime suspect were believed to be accomplices in the hideous act. It is saddening and ironical that two among the natural influencers of a child’s standards of character and conduct, a parent and a religious leader who ordinarily should provide fire-sure spiritual and moral compass, have been directly implicated in a ghoulish act in which the child is the main suspect.

The aberrant pastor was to carry out the ritual while the mother of the lover boy allegedly partook in the eating of the heart of the deceased in the ‘ritual soup’ prepared by the pastor, although both the pastor and the main culprit later indicated that she was not aware that  human flesh was used in the preparation. In essence, there was a clear evidence of bestiality and cannibalism around the money ritual. That is rather strange, and it is even weirder and concerning that a woman and indeed a mother was involved in the macabre incident.  It is a clear testament to how low the society has sunk in terms of its value system and morality. How a sound mind contemplates killing a fellow human being in order to enjoy his/her own life in comfort and luxury is difficult to fathom.  And how do you source money from eating a pregnant lady’s heart?

Pray, how many of the people on the Forbes’ list of wealthy persons are ritual killers?  And is it not ridiculous that the pastor who carried out the ritual has a ramshackle church, which implies that he is incapable of bettering his own life, let alone affecting anyone else’s positively? The pastor actually claimed that he got involved in the chilling act because he was broke and that he demanded for N250,000 from his client but he was given only N210, 000. In essence, the whole idea of money ritual may well be a scam by the pastor to collect money from Adeeko and his mother.  Yet in the ignoble process, a precious life has been cut short. This is most unfortunate.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, reportedly said: “The deceased was reported to have left home to an unknown destination since December 8, 2019 and had not been seen since then, hence she was reported missing by her parents at Mowe Police Station.” The way the youths live their lives these days is really scary. How and why should a young lady embark on an interstate journey to visit a male friend who was unknown to her parents and without letting them know her destination?  Certainly, Adeeko Owolabi was not alien to heinous crimes given his narrative on how Favour was murdered.  Could it be that Favour did not observe or did not mind her boy friend’s tendency to engage in unlawful acts, especially his inordinate craze for money while they dated? Truth be told, there can be no substitute for proper upbringing (home training) of teachable and corrigible children in order to enable them to navigate the turbulent and shark-infested waters   of today unscathed.  For instance, the young man who betrayed the trust of his girlfriend most probably knew that her parents had no idea of where she was, otherwise he would have been more circumspect in carrying out the dastardly and evil act.

We commend the police for the effective handling of the investigation that culminated in the prompt apprehension of the suspects. The suspects should be diligently prosecuted and served their just deserts.