The Ogun State Community, Social Orientation, and Safety Corps (So-Safe Corps) have arrested a middle-aged man at a tomb in Kere, Obada-Oko, Abeokuta, Ogun State, while he was allegedly attempting to exhume a human skull.
This was disclosed in a press statement issued by the Commander of So-Safe Corps, Commander (Dr.) Soji Ganzallo, through the office of the Director of Information and Public Relations of the Corps, Assistant Commander Moruf Yusuf.
According to the statement, at about 2:35 a.m. on January 21, 2025, officers of the So-Safe Corps on routine patrol observed suspicious activity on a parcel of land behind a church.
The suspect, identified as 54-year-old Adelani Oriyomi, was spotted trying to hide. Once the coast seemed clear, he resumed digging the tomb to allegedly retrieve a human skull.
However, the officers returned to the scene and apprehended him before he could escape.
Ganzallo revealed that the suspect, a resident of Kere, Obada-Oko in Ewekoro Local Government Area, confessed to the crime during interrogation.
Oriyomi admitted that on January 18, 2025, he had exhumed a skull from a tomb on a plot of land behind his residence.
He confessed that he was now attempting to retrieve another skull to complete the number required for a money ritual preparation known as Osole.
Oriyomi further disclosed that he had hidden the first skull in his room.
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 Center following another conviction in Obada-Oko.
Commander Ganzallo 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.
Ganzallo urged community leaders to thoroughly screen tenants and visitors to prevent harbouring undesirable individuals.
He emphasised that such vigilance could ensure 70% of home security, with the remaining 30% relying on alertness to external threats.
