By Ola Ajayi, Ibadan
Owing to themyths attached to cemetery, several peopledread going there. But, a playwrightsaid, “Many birdsdread water, but the duck sleepsin it”.
For five suspects, includinga 25 year-old pregnant woman, Saki Adediran, paraded by the Oyo State Commissionerof Police, Mr. MuhammedKatsina, they relishedin punishingthe dead. They dugdeepinto graves and broughtburiedbodiesto a slaughter slab where they usedknives to decimatethem into parts and sell to prospectivebuyers who, in turn, usedthe parts formoney-makingrituals.
They must have beencommittingthis heinouscrimefor sometime and, sincethey had murderedsleep, the ghostsofthose they had troubled didnot allowthem to rest until they were caught. The suspects arrested inconnectionwith the allegedcrime were Abati Kolade, Tayo Akinrinola, Ramon Korede, Mojeed Adediranand Saki Adediran.
Whilenarratinghow they were caught, CP Katsina said, “Followinga petitionreferred to the State IntelligenceBureau by the Commissionerof Police, the operatives of the bureaubegan a discreet investigation into the criminalactivitiestaking place at Muslimcemetery located aroundLifefort International School,Apete, Ibadan where graves, numbering aboutsix, had been excavated by unknown perpetrators. Througha painstaking, coordinated investigation anda clue leftbehind bythe perpetrators,the operatives arrested five suspectswho confessedto the alleged crime. Amongthe suspectsarrested is a femalewho confessedto the crime and disclosedthat she usuallyboughthuman skullat the rate of¦ 4,000”.
Thewoman humanparts dealer suspect, Saki Adediran, spoke to Sunday Vanguard, saying, “Korede, one of the suspects, always buys charms fromme. One day, he told me he had‘biscuit’ or menumo(human head). I boughtit and gave him N4,000. We have been doingit forquite sometime”.
When asked to disclose theidentity ofthe person shesoldthe humanskullshe bought forN4,000 to, she refusedto talk.
One ofthe other suspects, Akinrinola, who didnot showremorse,was reluctant totalk until theofficerwho investigated hiscase showedup. Thesuspect said, “One man took two of us to the cemetery around9pm. When we got there, we started exhuming the bodiesthat stillhad the gall intact. But, we checked all ofthosewe exhumed, we did not get any gall.” Other questionsput to him were not answered.
Paraded with the suspected humanparts dealerswere membersof a gang ofarmed robberswho allegedlyspecializedin snatching poshcars. The CP hinted that the command, working on a “robust intelligence”,detailedthe state SpecialAnti RobberySquad (SARS to conduct diligent investigation leadingto the recovery of assortedcars eithersnatchedfrom the owners at gun pointor stolenfromwhere they were parked. Theposh cars were recoveredfrom differentlocationsincluding Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kwara and Kano states. Thevehiclesincludedone unregisteredblack Toyota Corollacar,one Honda Accordsaloon car, one wineFord car with Reg.No. KSF 342 CY, two Honda Accordcars, with Reg. No. EPE 814 CD and ABJ 777 AY.
About 24 vehicles, 63 motorcycles, NITEL cables, among others, were allegedly recovered.
Thecommandalso recoveredabout 3,000 rounds oflive ammunition. Theammunition was recoveredaroundIdi-Iroko community, Soka area ofIbadanwhena team of detectiveswas dispatchedto the area.
“Thehoodlums, on noticingthe presenceof the policemenin the area, jumped offtheir motorcycle and fledinto the bush. When the area was thoroughly searched,1,000 rounds of7.6mm live ammunitionwere recovered along side themotorcycle with reg.No. LAGOS QJ 201 AKD,”Katsina said.
Thepolicealso arrested allegedcross-border robber,Opuoro John, for snatching exotic vehiclesat gunpoint.
“Thecross-border robberysuspect, accompaniedby other suspectedmembers ofthe gang now at large, attempted to transporta stolen vehicleto BeninRepublic where a notoriousreceiver, simplyidentified as Alhaji Sokoto, was waitingto receiveit. Opuoro John‘m’, who wassaid to have attempted to bribethe police, was arrested. Investigationrevealed that the vehiclewas snatchedat gun-point in Delta State. Efforts have beenput in place to apprehendthe fleeing robberysuspectsand their accomplices”,the policebosssaid. Saying he actuallyintendedto take the vehicle to the neighbouring Africancountry, the suspect, Opuoro, said, “One Alhaji Sokoto calledme that I should bringthis black car to him as he hadconcludedarrangements with the Customswhere hebought it from. When I was going on the way, it was dark and I decidedto park by the road side very closeto a policecheck pointwith the intention thatI wouldcontinuemy journey the following morning.As I openedthe car, somepolicemencame to me and demanded the particularsof the car which I couldnot produce”.
In another development, operatives ofSARS left no stoneunturnedin a case ofarmed robberytransferredto the squadfrom DivisionalPoliceHeadquarters, Iseyin.SARS recordeda breakthrough as it recovered14 motorcycles suspectedto have been stolen.
Other itemsrecoveredfrom the suspects includeone triple barrel locally madeshort gun, one live cartridgeand two expended cartridges.
One IbrahimAjibola, a.k.a Scorpion‘m’, and one JohnsonBolaji ‘m’were arrestedin connectionwith the case.
An allegedserial rapist, Isah Buruku, a Fulani, who the policesaid had beenon their wanted list forarmedrobbery, demonstrated how hedruggedhis victimsbefore raping them repeatedly. The policesaid he would disguiseas a commercialdriverand, after pickinghisvictimswho are mostly women, woulddrive them to an isolatedarea where he wouldmix all types of drugs togetherto make the victimsfallasleep. He demonstratedhow hemixed thedrugs with drinks.