2 men arrested for exhuming corpse for rituals in Ogun

Two men, an herbalist, Akindele Oke, and his client, Timothy Oniyide, a welder who undertook the task of disturbing the dead by digging up a grave and exhuming a corpse for the purpose of using the parts for rituals, have been arrested by members of the Nigerian Legion at the Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The third culprit, whose name was given as Monday Kugbi, however managed to escape but his pregnant wife, Mary, was arrested in his stead.

The incident, according to reports, happened in the Igan-Alade community of Yewa North Local Government Area where the Legion led by the state Squad Leader, Second Lt. Olorumleke Oluwaseyi, acting on a tip off, arrested the suspects in the very act.

“We got the information that some persons were digging a corpse in Igan-Alade area and when we got to the area around 11:00 pm last night, we conducted our investigation and two names were given to us.

We picked Timothy, who is the principal suspect at his house where the crime was conducted while his friend, Monday ran away upon seeing our men. We have arrested his wife and still in search of him.

The herbalist, 50, was the man that gave them a soap to bath with inside a dug space on the corpse,” Second Lt. Olorumleke Oluwaseyi explained.

During interrogation at the headquarters of the Nigerian Legion at Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, herbalist who claimed he is from Igangan in Benin Republic, said he did not give the men a soap to use to bath when they came to him requesting for a charm that will make them bold and fearless.

“Timothy came to me that he wanted a medicine that will make him to be bold and strong hearted.

He came with about six other persons. I don’t know anyone of them except Timothy. I gave them a powder to put into an incision to be made on their chest and back.

I never gave Timothy or anybody soap to bath with on the corpse. I gave them only powder for incision.”

But Oniyide contradicted the herbalists claim:

“I went to him to give me something that will make me rich and wealthy because my business was no more yielding profit.

He gave me the soap and that was about a month ago and on Saturday again, I was there with six other persons and he gave us another powder to rub an incision on our chest and back.

Other people that went with me to the herbalist are Prophet Adiitu of Celestial church, Ijoun, Baba Bukky (Prophet Omilende), Igbogila and one other Prophet from Cherubim and Seraphim and three of my friends."

The suspects have been handed over to the state Police Command and they are being detained at the Aiyetoro Police station in Abeokuta.