They are a pair of twins, the very kind that many people pray to have, particularly among the Yoruba who regard the birth of twins as a harbinger of good fortunes for the parents involved.

But 47-year-old Taiwo and Kehinde Yemitan are anything but good fortunes. Rather than project their family name or make their parents proud, they became a huge source of embarrassment as alleged serial killers.

The twin brothers are regarded as the anchor of a kidnapping syndicate that specialises in killing their victims and dismembering their bodies for sale and for production of magic powder and fortune soaps.

The twin brothers, who also worked as carpenters and herbalists, were said to have lured their latest victim, a young girl named Darasimi, to their hideout at Premier area of Abeokuta, where they killed and slaughtered her body for sale and ritual purposes.

Luck, however, ran out on them a few weeks ago as they were arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command in conjunction with other security agencies.

Taiwo had been arrested on December 22, 2024 alongside one Kazeem for alleged murder and dismembering of Darasimi, a sex worker, while Kehinde, his twin brother, fled.

According to the spokesperson for Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, the victim was lured to the suspects? Abeokuta residence and killed.

Odutola said: ?Having been fingered as one of the accomplices to the tragic crime, the police surveillance team, in collaboration with the So Safe Corps, were on the lookout for Kehinde until intelligence revealed his hideout on Monday, December 30, 2024.

?At about 5 pm on that day, the Divisional Police Officer of Sango Otta received a tip from a volunteer informant indicating that Kehinde, the twin brother of Taiwo Yemitan, was hiding in Ilogbo community.

?The police launched a manhunt for him in connection with the murder and mutilation of one Darasimi, surname unknown, on the 22nd of December, 2024 when his twin brother, Taiwo, and Kazeem were arrested at about 1 pm by the Divisional Police Officer of Lafenwa after the duo lured Darasimi, a night sex worker in Abeokuta, to their house for ritual purposes.??

In an exclusive audio file obtained by our correspondent, Taiwo confessed to the crime and opened up on how they had been killing people for ritual purposes.

He said after killing their victims, they would dismember their bodies and sell them to patrons who used them for money making rituals for as low as N50,000 and as high as N100,000 depending on the part of the body, while they also use some of the body parts to make magic soap to attract good fortunes.

?We received training as herbalists in Omu Aran, Kwara State when we were contracted for carpentry job at a private university. The people who hosted us in Omu Aran were herbalists.

?While I juggled carpentry with being a herbalist, Kehinde works full time as a herbalist.

?We have been working as herbalists for 15 years, and we operate around Premier College in Abeokuta, where our office is located.

?I used to stay at Ilogbo in Ota where I was living with my wife and two children. But I usually visited my twin brother, Kehinde, in Abeokuta on weekends.

?Kehinde works as a full-time herbalist while I juggle carpentry with being a herbalist.

?On a particular weekend, I visited Kehinde and discovered that he was into trading in human parts and ritual killings. He introduced me to it.

?We usually kill our victims and sell their body parts for money rituals, grill some and grind them into powder for consumption with alcohol or mix them with soap for a magic bath that would bring good fortunes.

?We have an accomplice named Kazeem, who usually supplies us with fresh human parts. He has brought fresh human parts to us about four times. He usually wrapped them in nylon.?

Explaining their dastardly activities further, Taiwo said: ?We sell ordinary body parts for N20,000 and hands or limbs for N50,000. It was the same amount we sold Darasimi?s hand.

?We sell a leg for N50,000 while the heart goes for N100,000.??

Giving an insight into how their latest victim was killed and dismembered, Taiwo said it was Kehinde that lured the victim to their home where they killed her and dismembered her body.

He said: ?Darasimi, a sex worker, was picked up from the Lafenwa area of Abeokuta and brought to our office on a Friday by my twin brother.

?She was served Fufu which we had sent a teenage boy called Samson to get for her from a food vendor in the neighbourhood.

?Samson is the one that helps us with chores and errands. I also ate from the meal.

?It was in the evening. Kazeem arrived moments later, and that was the first time I would meet him.

?At night, Darasimi made some calls on her mobile phone and I overheard her telling someone that she would return home the next day.

?Moments later, Kehinde told me that Darasimi was the person we would kill for ritual purposes.

?Kehinde later moved Darasimi to an adjoining office and engaged her in a conversation during which Kazeem appeared and covered her face with a handkerchief.

?I held her legs while Kehinde also held her down to prevent her from struggling with us. Kazeem slaughtered her, severed her head and drained her blood into a bowl, mixed it with alcohol.

?Kazeem dismembered her and took a large part of her body parts including her intestines away.

?Kehinde told me that Kazeem would return the body parts to him later when I asked why Kazeem was taking away substantial parts of the body.

?We only took her heart, kidney, head and leg.?

Taiwo said that after carrying out the killing, they were apprehended by security agents at the point of handing over the victim?s head to a buyer for N100,000. Unknown to him and others, the alleged buyer was only used as a bait for their arrest.

Taiwo said: ?The buyer, named Fakorede, is a member of the Agbekoya, a local security outfit, who promised to pay N100,000 for the girl?s head.

?We had agreed to hand over the head to him at a certain point around Premier College area of Abeokuta.

?Kehinde was to attend a party on the Saturday I was arrested. So, Fakorede asked us to wrap the head in a sack and bring it to him around 7pm.

?I was led to the place by a boy who served as our errand boy. He told me how to get to the spot.

?I approached the gate of Premier College looking forward to meeting Fakorede, only to discover that I had been lured into the police net.

?As I tried to figure out how to handle the situation, operatives of Agbekoya accosted and apprehended me. I was then taken to their office at Lafenwa, Abeokuta.

?Kehinde took the boy (Samson) to his mother?s home when we were about to kill Darasimi because we didn?t want him to know what was about to happen to the lady.

?We can never kill Samson for rituals because his mother is aware that he runs errands for us and helps us to fetch water and had even slept in our home many times.

?The highest amount we collected as payment for human parts is N100,000. We sell hand and leg for N50,000; kidney and heart for N100,000 and head also for N100,000.

?Fakorede has never bought human parts from us before. He only contacted us for human parts in order to expose and arrest us.

?I had warned Kehinde about the consequences of engaging in killing and selling human parts.

?I know that my family members would have got wind of my arrest for ritual killing, but none of them has shown up or visited me (in police custody).

?I will never engage in this crime again. I seek forgiveness and promised not to go back to a life of crime if pardoned.? (The Nation, but headline rejigged)

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