A 49-year-old man, Ganiyu Shina has been caught while bathing with blood at a river in Kotopo, Abeokuta, Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The man, a resident of 4, Oguji Street, Obantoko, Abeokuta, was arrested after he was sighted at the river bank by some residents, who informed the police.

He was said to have parked his Nissan commercial vehicle, took out a local sponge, with a container filled with blood and started bathing with it.

Ogun State police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the man fled immediately he discovered that some people were watching him.

However, Oyeyemi stated that he “was chased and apprehended by members of the community.”

According to Oyeyemi, the police at Aregbe division were invited by a member of the community, “and the DPO, SP Bunmi Asogbon quickly led the patrol team to the scene, from where the suspect was brought to the station.”

During interrogation, the suspect was said to have claimed that he had a spiritual problem, and that a herbalist instructed him to perform the ritual.

“He claimed further that the blood in his possession is not human blood, but that of cow,” Oyeyemi stated.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has directed that the remaining blood be taken for laboratory analysis, to ascertain whether it is human blood or not.

Bankole commended the community members for not taking laws into their hands, assuring them that the suspect would be properly investigated.