Islamic Cleric And His Father Jailed For Exhuming Childhood Friend’s Corpse For Ritual In Kwara

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A court has handed a jail sentence to an Islamic cleric, Olaitan Folorunsho Abdulwahab alongside his father, Suleiman Babatunde Olaitan, over possession of human parts in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Olaitan Folorunsho Abdulwahab exhumed the corpse of his childhood friend, Suleiman Saka, for ritual purposes on Tuesday, August 1, 2017, seven days after his death.

It was gathered that the deceased went out with the cleric and had complained of stomach ache not long after they returned. He died in a hospital the following day and was buried the same day in accordance with Islamic rite.

The presiding Magistrate, Bio Saliu, sentenced Abdulwahab to four years imprisonment while the father bagged four months and three thousand naira fine.

The sentence is to run concurrently.

Father and son were dragged before Magistrate Bio Saliu for Criminal Conspiracy, Criminal Trespass and Unlawful Possession of Human Parts contrary to Sections 97, 342, 219 of Penal Code.

The First Information Report (FIR) of the case said one Alhaji Aliyu Baba Alapa of Onilu compound, Oloje, Ilorin reported the matter at ‘G’ Division Police Station.

The complainant was said to have received the information that the grave of his son, Suleiman Saka, at their family compound in Oloje was excavated and the corpse, exhumed.

The offensive odour of the dismembered body of Saka from the house where it was kept attracted attention of members of the community who mobilised and conducted a search on the building.

Human head, two hands and two legs of the deceased kept in a plastic bucket and hidden inside the roof were reportedly recovered from the building.

Abdulwahab, Oladimeji, Jelili and Waidi of various addresses were said to have made away with the remaining parts of deceased’s body in a Honda Accord vehicle.

Olaitan, among other defendants who ran away after the incident, was rearrested in Ajuwon, Ogun State.

He was said to have confessed to have conspired with other defendants to carry out the act.

The defendants have since their arrest in 2018, been remanded in prison custody.