Police detectives in Ondo state have apprehended a 37-year-old suspected ritualist, Yusuf Adinohi, who admitted to engaging in the sale of human skulls to financially support his ailing mother.
Adinohi, presented by the state police command in Akure, was captured in the Isua-Akoko region of the state with eight human skulls in his possession.
Reportedly traveling from Okene in Kogi State to Osogbo in Osun state, Adinohi was stopped by security personnel around 11 am at the Agbasi Locust checkpoint in the Ase area of Isua Akoko, Ondo state.
A security team intercepted a commercial vehicle with the registration number LKJ 148 AJ, driven by Kabiru Abubakar, carrying four passengers.
“Upon investigation, the suspect admitted being the owner of the eight dry skulls and said that he was going to Osogbo to deliver the human skulls to another herbalist.
According to reports, the suspect disclosed the identities of his customers purchasing the human skulls and revealed their locations. Speaking to journalists at the police headquarters in Akure, the suspect admitted to selling seven human skulls at N35,000 each, resulting in a total profit of N245,000 from his unlawful activities.
According to him “ This will be my third time in this business. On the first trip, I sold four, the second time, I sold three and this latest one eight human skulls.
“For the skull, I usually buy it from my friend, Ismaila who usually gets them from burial grounds.
“Before I ventured into this business, I was buying and selling palm oil and cashew nuts, but it was not fetching me much money.
“My mother has been sick, we took her to one hospital in Lokoja and the doctor said we need N2 million for her treatment. So I had no choice but to venture into skull business. My intention was to leave the business once I gathered the money to settle my mother’s medical bills.
“So far, from the seven that I had sold, I’ve made N245,000. I actually sold them to different people.
“I met the buyers on Facebook. He told me that he’s a herbalist.
The state police commissioner, Abayomi Oladipo, stated that the suspect was arrested during routine stop-and-search security operations in Isua Akoko.
Additionally, the suspect confessed that he received the human skulls from an individual named Imaila, residing in Oboroke, Okene. He mentioned that each skull was sold for a price ranging between N30,000 and N35,000.
Oladipo announced that the suspect would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further inquiry.