Pregnant Woman Allegedly Murdered For Ritual In Kwara

A pregnant woman has allegedly been murdered for ritual purposes in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

The incident occurred on Thursday at Temidire 4, a quiet rural community in Egbejila, Ilorin, sparking panic and outrage among residents.

According to eyewitnesses, the victim, whose husband is a trader in agricultural chemicals and equipment in a border town in Kwara North, was home alone on Wednesday night. She was said to have been expecting a visitor and was seen purchasing bottles of beer and plates of pepper soup before retreating indoors.

By dawn, suspicion was raised when a neighbour reportedly confronted a man—believed to be her husband’s younger brother—who was seen leaving the house with a dripping black nylon bag. On closer inspection, the liquid trail was discovered to be blood.

Alarm was raised, drawing other members of the community. Shortly after, body parts suspected to belong to the victim—including an arm, a leg, and entrails—were discovered in nearby bushes. The head, however, was missing.

The grisly discovery has fuelled speculations of ritual motives, with residents recalling similarities to a recent case involving a self-styled cleric, Abdulrahaman Bello, who killed Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara College of Education, for body parts.

The killing has heightened tension in the multi-ethnic community, deepening mistrust and sparking accusations across tribal lines.

Police sources confirmed that the case has been transferred from the Budo Nuhu Divisional Headquarters along Airport Road to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Ilorin for further investigation.

However, efforts to reach the Kwara State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ejire Adeyemi-Toun, for comments were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.