Two men were on Thursday arraigned before an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, for allegedly exhuming a female corpse from a cemetery and dismembering the body for ritual purposes.
The defendants, Ridwan Bello, 42, also known as ‘Asalailu,’ and Fatai Adeleke, 70, were charged with conspiracy, unlawful possession of human parts, interference with the dead, and breach of public peace.
According to the prosecutor, ASP Foluke Adedosu, the accused, along with others who remain at large, conspired to commit the crime.
She alleged that on March 18, around 3:00 a.m., Bello was found in possession of human remains at Odo-Aba Street, Muslim Area, Ibadan.
The recovered body parts, including a severed female head, limbs, dried bones, and other remains, were stored in bags and a paint bucket at his residence.
Adedosu further alleged that the body parts belonged to the late Adebimpe Akinbo and were exhumed from Saint Andrew’s Anglican Church Cemetery in Awa-Ijebu, Ogun State, for ritualistic purposes.
She also told the court that Adeleke knowingly purchased the human parts from Bello for the same purpose.
The prosecutor stated that the act of exhuming and dismembering the corpse was not only unlawful but also disrupted public peace.
The defendants’ actions, she said, violated Sections 242 (1)(b), 249 (d), 329A, and 516 of the Oyo State Criminal Code Laws, 2000.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Presiding over the case, Magistrate A.T. Oyediji granted bail to the accused in the sum of N500,000 each, with two sureties in like sum. The matter was subsequently adjourned until May 8 for further hearing.
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