Alleged Human parts Possession: Absence of witness stalls suit against clerics
Stories by Kayode Adeoti
The suit involving two Islamic clerics, Olaitan Folorunsho Abdulwahab and Suleiman Babatunde Olaitan was stalled on Tuesday following absence of their witness at the Kwara State Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin.
The matter was adjourned to 29th August, 2019 for commencement of hearing.
Recall that the defendants were alleged to have exhumed body of their friend five days after he was buried, for ritual purposes.
They 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 revealed that one Alhaji Aliyu Baba Alapa of Onilu compound, Oloje, Ilorin reported the matter at ‘G’ Division Police Station.
The police report narrated that the complainant received the information that the grave of his son, Suleiman Saka, which was buried at the 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 vechicle which is popularly called EOD.
The EOD with the registration number (Lagos) MUS-150 ED was reportedly driven to an unknown place where the body was dumped.
Olaitan, among other defendants who ran away after the incident was reportedly arrested in Ajuwon, Ogun State and in the course of the investigation, he was said to have confessed to have conspired with other defendants to carry out the act.
According to the FIR, Olaitan confessed to have perpetrated the act.
The defendant have since their arrest in 2018, remanded in prison custody.
