FIJ
Aliyu, a self-proclaimed cleric in Omi-Ifon, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, has been caught grinding the exhumed remains of a one-year-old infant he should have taken care of, FIJ has learned.
Aliyu was caught in his residence on Wednesday by the mother of the infant, following a hunch she got when she passed by her child’s grave. FIJ obtained a video taken at the residence of the cleric after he was caught.
A source familiar with the situation said that the mother had a working relationship with the cleric prior to the unfortunate incident. According to the source, she had entrusted Aliyu with the care of her sick baby just a few days before the incident.
“The cleric is the woman’s cleric. He was even the one who named the children at the naming ceremony about a year ago. So, when one of them fell sick, she took the child to him,” the source said.
In an unfortunate turn of events, the child reportedly died in the custody of the cleric barely 24 hours after being taken there for medical attention. Aliyu was also present at the baby’s burial with the rest of the woman’s family.
On Wednesday, a few days after the child’s burial, the mother noticed that the grave had been disturbed; the topography of the soil struck her as odd. Acting on her suspicion, she attempted to consult Aliyu but was horrified to find him grinding the remains of her baby.
“She went to the cleric’s house when she noticed that something was amiss at the spot where her child was buried. She wanted to notify him. But she met him gruesomely grinding away at the remains with a mortar in his house. He had the head and the limbs of the baby,” the source added.
FIJ also learned that the situation sparked outrage and led the youths of the Alagbado community to protest on Saturday. They demanded that the cleric be made to feel the full wrath of the law.A video of youths in the Alagbado community protesting the gruesomeness of Aliyu’s act and demanding justice for the baby
Meanwhile, there has been a surge in the number of reported cases of ritual killing in Ondo State in recent times.
In June, for instance, the Ondo State police arrested Yusuf Adenoyin, a 31-year-old suspect, in the Isua-Akoko area of the state. Adenoyin was caught with eight human skulls and fresh human flesh.
Similarly, in May, Dolapo Babalola, a 39-year-old fruit seller, was arrested in Okeigbo for killing five people, including his intimate friend and cousin. Another cleric, Oluwafemi Idris, was caught in the Akoko area of the state with human organs in March.
In a phone conversation on Sunday, Odunlami Ibukun, the spokesperson for the Ondo State police command, told FIJ that the police had taken over the case. She said the case had been taken to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCID).
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN FIJ