Kwara Police Arrest Four Over Alleged Removal of Human Body Parts for Rituals from Exhumed Graves

Kwara Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekemi

In a disturbing development that has drawn attention across Nigeria, the Kwara State Police Command has arrested four men linked to two separate cases involving the alleged removal of human heads from graves and the possession of suspected human hands purportedly intended for money-making rituals.

Commissioner of Police Ojo Adekimi disclosed the arrests during a media briefing at the command headquarters in Ilorin. The first case centres on the Omupo cemetery in Kwara State. Community members discovered in May 2026 that several graves had been disturbed, with the heads of buried bodies missing. Police later determined that at least nine graves had been affected in some reports.

Intelligence-led investigations led to the arrest of two brothers, Abu Jimoh and Ayo Jimoh, at about 5:00 a.m. on 8 October 2026 while they were allegedly digging graves at the cemetery. One of the brothers is reportedly physically challenged. During interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed and named a herbalist, Mukaila Bello, as the supposed buyer of the heads. Investigations into Bello’s involvement continue.

In a separate incident on the same day, around 4:00 p.m., operatives arrested Kamalden Lukmon and AbdulGaniyu Ibrahim along Bakase Road in Alapa. Officers recovered two suspected human hands. Preliminary interrogation indicated the men allegedly intended to use the body parts for money-making rituals. They reportedly claimed a local vigilante, Abdulraf Apata, supplied the parts — a claim police are investigating. The two men are being held at the Violent Crimes Response Unit while efforts continue to identify any victim and establish the circumstances of the death.

Police say the cases are not currently linked and that investigations remain ongoing. The suspects are expected to be arraigned in court once probes conclude. The command also paraded other suspects at the same briefing as part of broader crime-fighting efforts in the state.