Ex-Convict Arrested with Human Skull in Ogun

A-middle-aged man, identified as a repeat offender, has been arrested by the Ogun State Community, Social Orientation, and Safety Corps (So-Safe Corps) while allegedly attempting to exhume a human skull in the Kere, Obada-Oko area of Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The suspect, 54-year-old Adelani Oriyomi, was apprehended during a patrol by So-Safe Corps officers at about 2:35 a.m. on January 21, 2025. The patrol team had observed suspicious movements behind a church located near a parcel of land. 

According to the Corps Commander, Dr. Soji Ganzallo, the suspect was initially spotted hiding but later resumed digging a tomb once the area seemed clear. Officers quickly returned to the scene and apprehended Oriyomi before he could escape.

In a statement issued by Assistant Commander Moruf Yusuf, Director of Information and Public Relations of the Corps, Oriyomi confessed to the crime during interrogation. He admitted that three days earlier, on January 18, 2025, he had successfully exhumed a skull from a nearby tomb and hidden it in his room. 

He further disclosed that his latest attempt was to retrieve another skull to complete the requirements for a money ritual process known as Osole.

"I have been doing this for years. I sold nearly ten skulls in the past," Oriyomi revealed, adding that he had previously been arrested for similar offenses. 

He recounted serving two years in prison for an earlier crime in Ado-Odo and an additional six years and nine months following another conviction in Obada-Oko.

Commander Ganzallo confirmed that a fully dried human skull was recovered from the suspect's residence. Both Oriyomi and the exhibit have since been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force at the Obada Divisional Headquarters for further investigation and prosecution.

Ganzallo used the opportunity to urge community leaders to be more vigilant in screening residents and visitors. "Seventy percent of home security lies in screening who you allow into your environment. The remaining 30 percent requires alertness to external threats," he stated.