The Ogun State Community, Social Orientation, and Safety Corps (So-Safe Corps) has apprehended 54-year-old ex-convict Adelani Oriyomi for allegedly attempting to exhume a human skull at a burial ground in Kere, Obada-Oko, Abeokuta.
So-Safe Corps Commander, Soji Ganzallo, shared the details in a statement on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, through the Corps’ Director of Information and Public Relations, Assistant Commander Moruf Yusuf.
At approximately 2:35 a.m. on January 21, 2025, So-Safe Corps officers on routine patrol noticed suspicious activity behind a church. They observed Oriyomi, a resident of Kere, Obada-Oko, attempting to hide while digging a grave to retrieve a human skull. Officers returned to the site and arrested him before he could escape.
During interrogation, Oriyomi confessed to exhuming a skull from a tomb behind his residence on January 18, 2025. He admitted that he was seeking another skull to complete the number needed for a money ritual known as ‘Osole.’ Oriyomi also revealed he had sold nearly ten skulls in the past.
The suspect further explained that he had been previously arrested for similar crimes in Ado-Odo and served two years in prison, followed by six years and nine months at Oba Correctional Centre for another conviction in Obada-Oko.
Ganzallo confirmed that Oriyomi and the recovered dried skull have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force at the 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 the harboring of criminals, stressing that such vigilance could ensure 70% of home security, with the remaining 30% relying on awareness of external threats.
