Segun Ayinde, Abeokuta
The Ogun State Community, Social Orientation, and Safety Corps (So-Safe Corps) has apprehended a middle-aged man, Oriyomi Adelani, for allegedly exhuming a human skull for ritual purposes in the Kere area of Obada-Oko, Abeokuta.
Adelani, 54, was caught by So-Safe Corps officers during a patrol in the vicinity of a tomb behind a church.
According to Moruf Yusuf, spokesperson for the So-Safe Corps, the officers noticed Adelani’s suspicious behavior and caught him in the act of digging up a grave to retrieve a human skull.
“Once he thought the coast was clear, he resumed digging the tomb but was apprehended before he could flee,” Yusuf explained.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed to exhuming a skull on January 18, 2025, from a plot behind his residence and hiding it in his room. He admitted he was attempting to retrieve another skull to fulfill the requirements for a money ritual known as Osole.
Adelani also revealed he is a repeat offender, claiming to have sold nearly 10 skulls in the past. He disclosed that previous convictions for similar offenses in Ado-Odo and Obada-Oko led to over eight years of imprisonment, including time served at the Oba Correctional Center.
Soji Gonzallo, the Corps Commander, confirmed that the suspect, along with a fully dried human skull recovered at the scene, has been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force, Obada Divisional Headquarters, for further investigation and prosecution.
Gonzallo urged community leaders to conduct thorough checks on tenants and visitors to deter criminal elements. He stressed that such vigilance could bolster home security by 70%, with the remaining 30% relying on alertness to external threats.