The Ondo State Police Command has uncovered a chilling case of ritual-related abduction involving a 100-level student of Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), who was lured and held captive by suspected cultists, including a fellow student of the institution.
According to a statement from the Command, 17-year-old Orowole Laughter, daughter of Hon. Orowole Akinwale Adamson of Ayeka, Okitipupa, was declared missing after she left home on June 25, 2025, and could no longer be reached.
Alarmed by her disappearance, the father submitted a petition to the Special Operations Squad on July 1.
Acting on the complaint, police operatives launched a technology-driven investigation, which revealed that the student had travelled from Akure to Ilesha, Osun State, before returning to Akure on June 30.
Police tracked her location using digital surveillance and devised a strategy that involved depositing money into her bank account to trigger a withdrawal attempt.
The plan worked — on July 7, a suspect, Ayomide Emmanuel Luli, 25, was arrested at a commercial bank in Alagbaka, Akure, when the victim arrived to make a withdrawal under instructions from her captors.
Further investigation led to the arrest of 23-year-old Iretomiwa Festus, also a student of OAUSTECH, who was found to have deceived the victim and delivered her into the hands of ritualists.
Disturbingly, three incision marks were found on the girl’s left hand, confirming fears of ritual activity.
The suspects later confessed that the victim was taken to Ilesha, Osun State, where she underwent an initiation ritual at the home of a suspected Ogboni cultist, one Chief Awe Akinyemi, aged 42.
The cultist was arrested on July 9 and admitted that the ritual was performed by another suspect identified simply as “Apena,” who is currently on the run.
During a search of Akinyemi’s residence, police recovered a white cloth reportedly used for the ritual. The victim has since been rescued and is receiving medical treatment and psychological support.
The police assured that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects and reiterated their commitment to eradicating all forms of ritual crime and cultism across the state.
The suspects will be arraigned in court after the conclusion of investigations.
