Suspected ritualist escapes lynching

Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar
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A man said to be in his 30s and identified simply as Saka was nearly lynched in Ilorin, Kwara State on Friday by a mob after he was allegedly caught with human parts.

The entreaties of elders in the community to hand the suspect over to the police at the ‘C’ Division, Oja-Oba, was said to have saved Saka from being killed.

The suspect was said to have been apprehended by the residents around Ajia compound in Gambari area of Ilorin while he was allegedly exhuming a corpse.

It was also allegedly caught with a bag containing human parts.

The residents feared that the human parts were meant for a ritual purpose.

Our correspondent learnt on Friday that because of the ongoing construction of a road which affected some tombs in the Ajia compound, family members were exhuming their relations’ corpses for re-burial elsewhere.

It was learnt that the suspect, who was not a member of the affected families, reportedly took advantage of the situation to exhume some corpses and allegedly removed their parts.

Luck, however, ran out on him when the family members noticed him and raised the alarm. Residents thereafter swooped on him.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Olufemi Fabode, confirmed to journalists on Friday that two people had been arrested in connection with the illegal act.

He added that though the suspects claimed innocence, the police were still investigating the matter.