Primary school in Ondo where pupils' blood is drawn for ritual purpose

Primary school teacher draws pupils' blood, cut their nails for ritual purpose in Ondo

A private school teacher in Ondo state, Blessing Omowera, has been convicted and jailed for drawing her pupils’ blood for ritual.

  New Telegraph reports that the incident happened May 16 at the God Heritage Nursery and Primary School,
Ondo town in Ondo West local government area. It was however reported to the police the next day.

  Blessing Omowera, a National Certificate in Education (NCE) holder, was arrested alongside her accomplice, Sola Kalejaiye, who is a teacher at Saint Monica Girls Grammar, and a traditionalist. They were both arrested for allegedly cutting the finger nails of the students and extracting blood from them for ritual purposes.

  According to the report at the Ondo Police Area Command, Omowera was said to have cut the finger nails and extracted blood of two pupils of God’s Heritage Nursery and Primary School, Ondo and kept it inside her bag. The pupils, whose names were given as Marvelous and Dominion (surnames withheld), were said to be pupils of primary three of the school. One of the pupils was said to have complained of the pains to her father after the closing hours, which made one of the parents to have gone with her to the school. He later reported the incident at the Ondo Area Command in Ondo town. Shortly after Omowera was arrested, she made a confessional statement at the station and mentioned her alleged sponsor, Kalejaiye. When the news of the incident broke, parents rushed to the school and other private schools to withdraw their children.

  Kalejaiye, who was subsequently arrested by the police, was accompanied to the station by his lawyer. Members of his family and friends intervened. He was immediately granted bail on self-recognition. Joseph said the two teachers initially confessed to the crime but Kalejaiye later withdrew his confessional statement.

  The PPRO said the culprits had been charged to court. He said Omowera, who pleaded guilty, had been convicted and sentenced to prison while Kalejaye’s case was pending in court.