In a viral 2022 video, community guards caught the trio with Sofia’s burning head, chanting incantations.
Justice Olugboyega Ogunfowora of the Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta, on Friday sentenced Mustakeem Balogun and Soliudeen Majekodunmi to death by hanging, while Lukmon Abdulgafar was sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2022 murder of 16-year-old Sofia Okeowo.
The state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Mr. Oluwasina Ogungbade, confirmed the judgment in a statement to journalists.
“The dastardly act which occurred on January 28th 2022, around Kugba, Abeokuta, saw Mustakeem Balogun lure 16-year-old Sofia to have carnal knowledge of her and later kill her in preparation for premeditated money ritual charms,” he said.
According to the statement, Mustakeem attacked and strangled Sofia with Soliudeen’s help before they beheaded her. Parts of her thighs were cut off, and her headless body was stuffed into a sack. Her head was later burnt at Lukmon’s residence using a local burner.
In a viral 2022 video, community guards caught the trio with Sofia’s burning head, chanting incantations.
“The present administration does not allow crime to thrive,” Ogungbade stressed, saying the convictions would serve as a deterrent to other ritualists.