Poni Bada, a 50-year-old Beninese farmer, has explained why he agreed with his three friends, Ige Koselu, Benjamin Balovi, and Segun Shile to offer his last child for money rituals in the Owode area of Ogun State.
He revealed that his three friends contributed the N100,000 needed to start the ritual process, agreeing to have their share of the loot when the ritual was successful.
According to a Vanguard report, the nine-year-old boy, Agbe, was brought from Benin Republic in May 2023 to work in farmland, where he was paid N5,000. However, the father was not satisfied with the pay his get after first month as it could not feed his 10 children and three wives.
However, the suspect narrated that he decided to use the boy for ritual hoping that when the money comes, he would be able to train other children and have better living conditions.
“The situation of things kept going from bad to worse. I could not feed my children. I then decided to use my last child, Agbe, for a money ritual so that I could train the other children and have better living conditions.
“In May 2023, I left my hometown in Jakotome, Benin Republic for Nigeria, to visit my brother, Benjamin Balobi, at Ilaro, Ogun State, who earlier told me he was doing well as a farmer and that the owner of a farmland was looking for labourers. That was how I brought Agbe to Nigeria to work.
“But the thought of using him for a money ritual came up when I realized that the money paid as salary to my son was very poor,” Poni Bada narrated.
Continuing, he explained how one of his friends introduced him to another in a bid to get an herbalist.
“I told Balobi to help me get a herbalist that would help me with the money rituals; he said he knew no one but promised to help me find a herbalist who might have information on it.
“He informed Ige Koshelu (one of the suspects) who found someone that promised to take us to the herbalist’s place in Sango. But we were taken to another herbalist’s place in Owode, where we were arrested,” he added.
Another suspect, Segun Shile, who is one of the accomplices, regretted his action, saying one herbalist at Owode warned them against using the boy for any ritual.
“When I called the herbalist on the phone, he said there was nothing like money rituals. Few days later, he invited me to bring the person that would be used for the rituals.
“Immediately he sighted the boy, he stated categorically that the child’s head was too strong to be used for rituals.
“He, however, demanded N100,000 to take to another herbalist who would perform the rituals,” he narrated.
Speaking, Shile explained that Pada was left out of the N100,000 contribution to start the process because he was the one ‘donating’ the boy to be used.
“Three of us; Balobi, Koshelu, and myself, who accompanied the boy’s father there, then went outside to discuss how to raise the money.
“Balobi brought N50,000, and Koshelu and I added N25,000 each. We told the boy’s father not to pay since he wasdonating his son to the ritual.
“He agreed to give us out of what would come out of the process. When we handed the money to the herbalist, he picked up his phone and called someone. To our surprise, the next thing we saw were policemen.”
Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Command, AIG Muhammed Ali, confirmed the suspects’ arrest and rescue of the minor, adding that the latter would be taken to a juvenile home at the end of the investigation.
