Operatives of the Ondo state Police command have arrested three clerics for allegedly exhuming a corpse for money ritual purposes.
The incident, which happened last week Tuesday, July 9, was reported to have involved three Cleric, identified as Aliyu Musa, Aliyu Taiye, and Wasiu Babatunde in Omi-ifon in Odigbo Local Government area of Ondo State
The Hope Newspaper reports that the victim identified sumply as Taiwo, died on Friday, July 5, 2024, and was buried on the same day, while the clerics officiated.
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An eyewitness who spoke on the incident said some of the items found in the clerics’ homes include a pestle and a mortal, concoction, sponge, and black pot, among others.
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Narrating her ordeal, the deceased’s guardian identified as Risikat Bisiriyu said:
“The boy was ill and I took him to a Maternity Centre for treatment. He was later referred to the General Hospital in Ore. But on getting there, the boy died,”
“I wept bitterly which attracted the attention of residents in the area. Since we are Moslems by religion, we decided to bury the boy the same day, and we invited the clerics to officiate.
“When we got to where the boy would be buried, one of the clerics who carried the corpse went far into the bush to bury him. But the younger brother of the deceased’s father insisted he should bury the child at a particular place, not far inside the bush.
“The child died on Friday. So, on Monday, around 10 am, we were sitting outside the house, when the wife of one of the clerics came and told us that she didn’t know what her husband brought into the house that was smelling. But we paid no attention to what she said
“About 11pm on Monday, we began to hear the cleric pounding some things till 4.30am. I jokingly said only God knows what he was pounding all through the night that disturbed our sleep.
“The following day, when I arrived home from the market, the wife of the cleric approached me again and said she was suspicious that it was the corpse of Taiwo, that just died, that her husband was pounding. But I told her to keep quiet. I informed the younger brother of the deceased’s father. And he replied that he also heard about it. So, we became suspicious.
“We went to the child’s grave and discovered that it was scattered
“With the permission of the Imam in the area, we exhumed the corpse and found out that the head and hands of the child had been cut off.
The incident was afterwards reported to the police, and the trio were subsequently arrested and charges to court.
They were charged with breaking the law according to contravene 517 and 516A(1), 242(1)(b), 213(b) of the Criminal Code Law of Ondo State, 2006.
Magistrate Festus Akinlolu reserved her ruling on the bail till August 26.
