Spread the word
The Kwara state Police Command has arrested two brothers of same parents, Abu Jimoh and Ayo Jimoh, over alleged exhumation of graves and removal of human heads from at least nine graves at a cemetery in Omupo, Kwara state.
One of the suspects is a physically challenged person.
The suspects, according to the police, had exhumed at least nine graves and removed the heads of corpses buried in the cemetery before they were caught in the act.
Parading the suspects at the headquarters of the state police command, Ilorin, Tuesday, the state Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said the two siblings were arrested on October 8 while digging another grave at the cemetery.
Ojo said the investigation into the cemetery incident began after community members discovered in May 2026 that some graves had been breached with the heads of bodies buried there missing.
The CP said the incident came to light when members of the community visited the cemetery to bury a deceased person and discovered that nine graves had been dug up, with the heads of the bodies buried there missing.
He said police intelligence-led investigations led to the arrest of Abu Jimoh and Ayo Jimoh on October 8 about 5a.m while they were allegedly digging graves within the cemetery.
He said “the suspects have confessed to the crime and named a herbalist, Mukaila Bello, as the buyer of the human heads.”
Similarly, operatives of the violent crimes units (VCU) of the state’s police command arrested two men over alleged money ritual and recovered two severed human hands, allegedly intended for money-making rituals.
The suspects, according to the CP, were arrested along Bakase road, Alapa in the state.
The CP said the suspects, identified as Kamalden Lukmon and AbdulGaniyu Ibrahim, were arrested on October 8, 2026 about 4pm during a police operation while the recovered body parts prompted investigation into their origin and circumstances surrounding their possession.
Ojo said preliminary interrogation revealed that the suspects allegedly intended to use the body parts for money rituals.
According to him, the suspects also alleged that a vigilante member, identified as Abdulraf Apata, handed the body parts to them.
Ojo said the police were investigating the claims to establish the facts and determine whether other individuals were involved in the incident.
“The two suspects are currently in our custody at the Violent Crimes Response Unit (VCRU) while investigations continue, to establish the identity of the possible victim, determine the circumstances surrounding the death and bring anyone found culpable to justice,” he said.
The police commissioner did not disclose the identity of the possible victim or the circumstances under which the hands were severed.
The commissioner said the suspects would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.
Beyond the cases involving suspected human body parts, the police also announced the arrest of several suspects totally 17, linked to kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, illegal firearm possession and motorcycle theft across the state.
Among them was Abubakar Usman, also known as Jaye, a wanted suspect arrested at Jebba Cattle Market on October 11 over alleged involvement in kidnapping incidents in Oke-Ode and Oro-Ago, as well as the killing of members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun local government area.
Ojo said the suspect was also accused of threatening to kidnap a prominent member of a cattle-rearing association and demanding N10 million.
He added that the suspect had reportedly confessed to his involvement in the crimes under investigation and was assisting the police with information to identify other suspected accomplices.
Spread the word