The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Gombe State Command, has arrested six suspects for allegedly exhuming a two-day-old corpse for ritual purposes in Kwami Local Government Area.
The suspects — Adamu Umar (22), Umar Jibrin Aboki (21), Abdullahi Umar Dauda (17), Muhammed Isa Chindo (28), Kawuji Sarki (39), and Manu Sale (23), were nabbed during a joint operation by operatives from the State Command Headquarters and Gadam Division on September 11.
Command spokesperson, SC Buhari Saad, said in a statement on Friday that the grave desecrated belonged to the late Mallam Manu Wanzam, an 85-year-old resident of Gadam buried two days earlier.
Investigations revealed that Kawuji Sarki contracted Chindo, who then recruited others to exhume the corpse and harvest the eyes at an agreed price of ₦500,000 each.
The suspects confessed to removing the body parts before reburying the remains. One accomplice is still at large.
The State Commandant, Jibrin Idris, condemned the act, describing it as both a crime and an affront to cultural and religious values.
“This is a grave assault on human dignity. We assure residents that justice will be served,” Idris said, urging the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities.
The NSCDC confirmed that the suspects would be charged to court after investigations are concluded.
Cases of grave desecration for ritual purposes remain a disturbing trend in parts of Nigeria, where security agencies continue to battle criminal networks exploiting superstitious beliefs for profit and influence.