Man arrested with human skull in Ogun to face trial

The Ogun State Police Command says it will prosecute a man, Lekan Akinyemi, who was arrested for allegedly exhuming and beheading a corpse for ritual purposes in the Itoko area of Abeokuta, the state capital.

PUNCH Online reported on Tuesday that the suspect was arrested on Monday after a resident alerted the police about suspicious activities around his father’s grave.

The resident had told the police that upon inspection of his father’s grave, he discovered that the head of his father’s corpse had been chopped off.

Upon receiving the information, police operatives from the Adatan Division swung into action and arrested Akinyemi, who was caught in the act.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, who confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Tuesday, said, “A resident of Iyana Cele Car Wash, Abeokuta visited the police station and reported that on June 23, 2024, at about 0800hrs, one of his siblings alerted him to unusual activities at their late father’s grave in Isale Itoko, Abeokuta.

“Upon inspection, he found that their father’s head had been removed by an unidentified individual or group. Further inquiries led to the identification of Lekan Akinyemi, who was caught red-handed as the culprit who dug up the grave and severed the head.”

The PPRO, in a follow-up conversation with our correspondent, disclosed that an investigation had commenced into the matter and the suspect would be prosecuted upon conclusion of the ongoing investigation.

“Lekan Akinyemi was caught in the act and the case will be handed over to the Anti-Robbery Unit for investigation before transferring it to the State CID.

“The Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, has directed a discrete investigation into the matter. The suspect will be prosecuted after the conclusion of the ongoing investigation in accordance with the law.”

She, however, assured residents of the state of the police commitment to combat crimes and criminality, while urging the residents to desist from ritual killings.

“The truth is that nobody can make money from ritual, it is only a myth. People should desist from ritual killings because if they are caught, the law is there to deal with them,” Odutola concluded.