An 20-month-old toddler, Opeyemi Ogundele, was, on Sunday, stolen at a naming ceremony in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The incident, it was learnt, happened at Ilugun Inuosegba community, Akorede Estate, Mile 2 area in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the state.
When Tribune Online visited the community, members of the community were seen in front of a three-bedroom bungalow belonging to one herbalist, Chief Olansile Ifayemi.
The community members, mostly youths, vandalised the building and allegedly found different fetish items in the building.
Pictures of white people, pots with different names written on them, traditional paraphernalia, women underwears and children's clothes were seen in one of the rooms within the building.
Men of the Ogun State Police Command were on ground to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order.
Giving account of how she discovered that her son was missing, Mrs Elizabeth Ogundele said she was preparing for her niece's naming ceremony when she found out her son was missing.
The 26-year-old mother told newsmen that she had gone to celebrate with her brother, Olusola Osunleke, when the incident happened.
"I was helping my brother's wife get ready for the ceremony when I noticed that my son was nowhere. I searched for him in and around the house because some tenants said they saw him playing ball, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"I ran outside the house into the community still searching and that was when I encountered two guys at Chief Ifayemi's house. I asked if they had seen my son, they denied and started giggling, so I left," she said.
She added that the naming ceremony could not go on as planned as the whole community was thrown into confusion over the missing child.
Foods prepared for the ceremony were left untouched as the ceremony was suspended.
The state Police Commissioner, Abdulmajid Ali, said there was no link between the disappearance of the toddler and the discovery of the suspected ritualists' den.
Ali assured that the police would investigate the matter and promised to make its findings public.
He said, "Actually, the boy was kidnapped yesterday but the site that was discovered has no relationship with the boy and other human parts that were found at the site.
"Already, we have commenced investigation on the matter and we will let you see what really happened when we finish our investigations."
Source:Punch
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