The Ogun State Community, Social Orientation, and Safety Corps (So-Safe Corps) has arrested a 54-year-old man for allegedly exhuming a human skull at a tomb in Kere, Obada-Oko, Abeokuta.
According to a press statement issued by Commander (Dr.) Soji Ganzallo of the So-Safe Corps, officers apprehended the suspect, identified as Adelani Oriyomi, at about 2:35 a.m. on January 21, 2025, during a routine patrol. The officers had observed suspicious activity on a parcel of land behind a church, where Oriyomi was attempting to retrieve a human skull. When the suspect saw the coast was clear, he resumed digging, but the officers returned and apprehended him before he could flee.
“Upon questioning, the suspect confessed to having exhumed a skull from a tomb on January 18, 2025, behind his residence,” Commander Ganzallo stated. “He was attempting to retrieve another skull for a money ritual known as Osole. Oriyomi further revealed that he had hidden the first skull in his room.”
The suspect also admitted to being a repeat offender, revealing that he had previously sold nearly ten skulls. He shared that his prior criminal activities had led to convictions, including two years in prison for offenses committed in Ado-Odo and an additional six years and nine months following a conviction in Obada-Oko.
In a follow-up, the So-Safe Corps recovered a fully dried human skull from Oriyomi. The suspect, along with the skull, was handed over to the Nigeria Police Force at the Obada Divisional Headquarters for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Ganzallo urged local leaders to take precautionary measures in screening tenants and visitors to avoid harboring individuals involved in such illicit activities. He emphasized the importance of vigilance in home security, stating, “Thorough screening can ensure 70% of home security, with the remaining 30% relying on alertness to external threats.”
