January 21, (THEWILL) – The Ogun State Community, Social Orientation, and Safety Corps (So-Safe Corps) arrested a middle-aged man at a tomb in Kere, Obada-Oko, Abeokuta, while he was attempting to exhume a human skull for a money ritual.
The suspect, Oriyomi Adelani, was arrested during a routine patrol in the Obada-Oko area.
The spokesperson of the So-Safe Corps, Moruf Yusuf, confirmed this to newsmen in a statement in Abeokuta on Tuesday.
Yusuf said the officers saw the 54-year-old suspect engaged in suspicious activity on a parcel of land behind a church in the area.
“Once the coast seemed clear, he resumed digging the tomb to allegedly retrieve a human skull. However, the officers returned to the scene, apprehending him before he could escape”, he stated.
Yusuf added that the suspect, a resident of Kere, Obada-Oko in Ewekoro Local Government Area, confessed to committing the crime during interrogation. Adding that the suspect admitted that on January 18, 2025, he exhumed a skull from a tomb on a plot of land behind his residence.
Yusuf explained that the suspect confessed that he had hidden the first skull he exhumed in his room but was caught while attempting to retrieve another skull to complete the number required for a money ritual preparation known as “Osole”.
“The suspect also confessed to being a seasoned offender, having sold nearly ten skulls in the past. He revealed that previous arrests for similar offences committed at Ado-Odo led to two years of imprisonment and a further six years and nine months at the Oba Correctional Centre following another conviction in Obada-Oko”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Corp’s Commander, Soji Gonzallo, confirmed that the suspect and the recovered exhibit—a fully dried human skull—have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force, Obada Divisional Headquarters, for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Gonzallo urged community leaders to thoroughly screen tenants and visitors to avoid harbouring undesirable individuals. He highlighted that such vigilance could account for 70% of home security, with the remaining 30% depending on awareness of external threats.
