How Ondo varsity student lured colleague to ritualists – Police
By Boye Oyeyemi –
The Ondo State Police Command has arrested four individuals, including two undergraduates of the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, for allegedly abducting and taking a fellow student to a cult shrine for ritual initiation.
The victim, 17-year-old Laughter Orowole, a 100-level student of OAUSTECH, was declared missing by her father, Hon. Orowole Akinwale Adamson, on July 1, 2025, after she left home on June 25 and could no longer be reached.
According to a police statement, officers of the Special Operations Squad used surveillance technology to trace her movements from Akure to Ilesha in Osun State and back to Akure. A trap was set using a bank transfer to her account, which led to her appearance at a commercial bank in Alagbaka, Akure, on July 7.
Police arrested 25-year-old Ayomide Emmanuel Luli at the bank while he was monitoring the victim. Further investigation led to the arrest of 23-year-old Iretomiwa Festus, also an OAUSTECH student, who allegedly lured the victim under false pretenses.
Police confirmed that three incision marks were found on the victim’s left hand, suggesting she had undergone ritual initiation. The suspects confessed to taking her to a shrine in Ilesha.
There, a man identified as Chief Awe Akinyemi, 42, reportedly initiated her into a secret cult. Akinyemi was arrested on July 9 and admitted to participating in the ritual, which he said was performed by another man known as “Apena,” who remains at large.
A white cloth used during the ritual was recovered from Akinyemi’s residence. Police say efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspect and conclude the investigation.
