[b]Boy,25 arrested with others for exhuming skull of late Uncle (93)
Crime Guard, News Sunday, October 17, 2010


By Evelyn Usman

Villagers of Adamai Agoshasha in Ipokia local government area of Ogun State, will never forget in a hurry the horrendous sight they beheld recently at the grave side of the late Pa Dasu Adende, who passed on three years ago at the ripe age of 93. Perhaps, the late Pa Dasu seemed to be resting in peace until some persons invaded his grave and cut off his dried skull.



Suspects and exhumed skull



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As if the impact of the shock at the strange discovery was not enough, the villagers were thrown into momentary state of dumbness when one of the perpetrators of the act was discovered to be the deceased 25- year-old nephew, Jimoh Adende.

Adende, along side two of his childhood friends Wuye Jimoh and Adesere Wuye, reportedly stormed the grave side which is just in front of the late Pa Dasu's compound two weeks ago at the wee hours of the morning, dug out the decomposed remains before cutting off the skull.

Next morning, one of the bereaved children who noticed that all was not well with his late father's grave, alerted some elders, who out of curiosity, suggested that the body inside the grave be checked to ascertain whether it was still there , only to discover to their bewilderment that the skull was missing from the remaining parts of the decomposed body.


At this point, the entire village was reportedly thrown into another round of mourning as those who knew the late Pa Daudu started recounting the good things they benefitted from him and at the same time, cursing the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

Just then, something struck the elders; a cutlass, right inside the grave. On further detection, it was discovered to be that of Jimoh Adende, who was immediately sent for by the head of the family where he owned up. Jimoh Adende was subsequently handed over to the police from where he spoke to Crime Guard, revealing that he intended selling the skull for N30,000.

Excerpts:

"I am ashamed of myself and I regret my action. The person involved happened to be my late father's elder brother, who died at the age of 93. Poverty lured me into this. I just moved to the village after several years of handwork in Lagos yielded nothing to me. I was operating a commercial motorcycle in Ajah area of Lagos and could hardly feed my wife and two children. I met with someone who said selling of human parts was lucrative.

The man who also runs okada business told me that anytime I have someone who wanted to sell human parts , I should contact him. So when I got to the village, I decided to try it with my late uncle's skull, since I know he was long dead and buried. I was to sell it for N30,000″, he stated.

HOW WE STRUCK

Before the day proper, I had contacted two of my child hood friends, Wuye Jimoh and Adesere Wuye , who promised to help me dig the grave at night. So that fateful Saturday night, after everyone had gone to sleep, we crept to the grave side at about 1.30am and started digging with two shovels. It was not that difficult because the grave was not cemented. I thereafter cut the skull with my cutlass which I took along and put it inside a nylon, after which we all went our separate ways, with a promise to meet next day on how to get a ready buyer".

But how wrong he was! Continuing, he stated, " I guess the spirit of baba(referring to the late Pa Dasu) was against us because next day, immediately his son, Taye woke up, he noticed all was not well with his father's grave and alerted the head of the family following which an emergency meeting was called .

It was at the meeting that Taye requested to find out whether all was well with the body inside and a suggestion to dig the grave was made, during which my cutlass was found inside the grave and also that the skull had been chopped off. Since everyone knows my cutlass , there was absolutely no way I could have denied ownership.

Looking remorseful from his sitting position and apparently thinking the hand of the clock would be turned back for him to make right his wrong, Wuye Jimoh, who happens to be Jimoh Adende's cousin, mentioned repeatedly that Adende lured him into what he described as 'mess'.

" Ah, I have never had any business with the police in my life. Jimoh Adende put me into this. Jimoh Adende has been my good childhood friend. So, when he discussed the deal with me I did not hesitate. I agreed to be part of it. But we were unlucky as we were arrested while we were still looking for a buyer for the skull. And that was my first attempt", said the farmer.

The third suspect, Adesere Wuye corroborated the confession of Wuye Jimoh, that Jimoh Adende introduced the illicit trade to them.

Said the 30-year -old suspected accomplice and father of two, "Jimoh Adende is my good childhood friend.

He just relocated to the village because he had been in Lagos for long. Upon arrival, he convinced me that the trade in human skull was lucrative and I quickly embraced it, without hesitation, not knowing I was only inviting trouble to myself".

The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr Musa Daura explained that "one Taye Adende, son of the late man whose head was chopped off, reported at Ipokia Divisional Headquarters on Tuesday, September 28, 2010 that on Saturday, September 18, 2010 his father's grave at Adamai Village in Agoshasha was tampered with.

Upon interrogation at the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, Ogun State Police Command Headquarters, the suspects owned up to the commission of the crime".

Daura added that the three suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as investigation is concluded into the matter. [/b]

http://nigeriaworld.com/cgi-bin/axs/ax.pl?http://odili.net/news/source/2010/oct/17/317.html

All this for N30,000?? What an epic fail.