By The Oyo State Police Command has arrested two suspects, including a 70-year-old man, for allegedly exhuming corpses and selling body parts to ritualists.
Police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso revealed that detectives at the Iyaganku Divisional Police Headquarters in Ibadan acted on a tip-off, leading to the arrest. Officers then searched the home of one suspect in the Muslim area of Ibadan.
During the search, police discovered a female human torso, severed limbs, and dried bones stored in bags and paint buckets. The suspect confessed to exhuming the body from a cemetery in Awa-Ijebu, Ogun State, and selling parts to ritualists.
His confession led detectives to the cemetery, where the claim was verified. Further investigations resulted in the arrest of a septuagenarian buyer involved in the illicit trade.
The case has now been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department’s Homicide Section for further investigation. Efforts are ongoing to track down other individuals involved.
Meanwhile, Oyo Commissioner of Police, CP Johnson Ademola, has urged cemetery managers to enhance security and warned transporters to be vigilant about their passengers’ luggage to prevent illegal activities.
