A 54-year-old ex-convict, Adelani Oriyomi, has been arrested by the Ogun State Community, Social Orientation, and Safety Corps otherwise known as So-Safe Corps during an attempt to exhume a human skull at a burial ground in Kere, Obada-Oko, Abeokuta.
The Commander of So-Safe Corps, Soji Ganzallo, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, through the office of the Director of Information and Public Relations of the Corps, Assistant Commander Moruf Yusuf.
“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 statement read.
“The suspect, identified as 54-year-old Adelani Oriyomi, was spotted trying to hid.
“Once the coast seemed clear, he resumed digging the tomb to allegedly retrieve a human skull. However, the officers returned to the scene, apprehending him before he could escape.”
The statement revealed that the suspect, a resident of Kere, Obada-Oko in Ewekoro Local Government Area, confessed to the crime during interrogation.
He was said to have admitted that on January 18, 2025, he had exhumed a skull from a tomb on a plot of land behind his residence.
Oriyomi reportedly confessed that he was attempting to retrieve another skull to complete the number required for a money ritual preparation known as ‘Osole’ when he was caught.
The suspect was also said to have confessed to being a serial offender, having sold nearly ten skulls in the past.
During the interrogation, the suspect also explained that he had previously been arrested for similar offences committed at Ado-Odo and served two years of imprisonment and a further six years and nine months at the Oba Correctional Centre following another conviction in Obada-Oko.
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.
The So-Safe Corps Commander 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.
