Three years after the brutal murder of 16-year-old Sofiat Okeowo for money rituals, justice has finally caught up with her killers.

On Friday, July 11, 2025, an Ogun State High Court in Abeokuta sentenced two of the culprits — Mustakeem Balogun and Soliudeen Majekodunmi — to death by hanging. The third defendant, Abdulgafar Lukmon, was handed a life sentence.

This painful chapter began back in January 2022 when Sofiat, a young fashion designer and bread seller, visited her boyfriend, 18-year-old Majekodunmi, in the Oke-Aregba area of Abeokuta. Unknown to her, it would be her last Friday alive. With the help of his friend Mustakeem, Soliu strangled, beheaded Sofiat, and cut parts of her thighs. They then stuffed her remains in a sack and took her head to Lukmon’s house, where it was burnt in a local pot for ritual purposes.

Their arrest came swiftly after local residents caught them chanting incantations over the burning head. The police recovered the mutilated body and the weapons used, leading to a high-profile murder trial.

Closure at last for Sofiat’s family
Delivering the judgment, Justice Olugboyega Ogunfowora did not mince words. He found the trio guilty of the gruesome crime, emphasizing that their actions had robbed society of an innocent young girl with dreams and potential.

Ogun State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, welcomed the verdict.

“Today, Ogun State has won this case. The convicts have been conclusively excluded from civilized society. We’re grateful for the closure we have been able to provide Sofiat’s family,” he said.

A warning to Nigerian youths
Ogungbade also used the occasion to warn young people against the lure of money rituals.

“This is a call to return to our values of hard work and respect for life. Anyone who chooses crime will face the full weight of the law, just as these young men have,” he stressed.

The case, which shook the entire state in 2022, highlighted the dangers of desperation and misplaced priorities among youths. Today’s judgment is seen by many as not only justice for Sofiat and her family but also a strong statement that ritual killings and similar crimes have no place in society.

As the curtain finally falls on this tragic saga, Sofiat’s family can now take some comfort in knowing that the law has done its part — and that their daughter’s killers will never again have the chance to harm another innocent soul.