A guy has been arrested in Adamawa State for reportedly digging up his stepfather’s corpse from a burial and cutting off his head.
The Adamawa State Police Command, which apprehended the 55-year-old hunter Yusuf Garba, stated Friday that the suspect, who is from Tappare Kona Uku in Jada LGA, confessed to the crime to police interrogators.
SP Suleiman Nguroje, the Police Public Relations Officer, stated that the suspect explained that the deceased’s son approached him and requested his late father’s head for ceremonial purposes.
According to Nguroje, the suspect stated that after his stepfather died, the deceased’s biological son attempted to transport the corpse to Jalingo, Taraba State, for burial, but other family members refused.
The suspect stated that a year after the deceased’s burial, the biological son invaded the house and demanded his head for traditional ceremonies, putting pressure on him (Yusuf Garba) and forcing him to go for the head.
“I took a hoe around 4:00am, went to the grave yard, digged the grave and cut off the head,” Yusuf said. He continued: “I returned home and gave him (the biological son) the head in a polythene bag and the son collected it and left,” said Yusuf.
He insisted that he did what he was requested out of fear because “the son is a witch and can attack me or my children if I refuse”.
Yusuf also told the police that two weeks later, the widow of the deceased, whom the son in question inherited, came to him and reported that she had been experiencing awful dreams since the head was stored in their bedroom.
He claimed that he requested her to bring a chicken, which she did, and then dug the hole, murdered the bird, and spilled its blood over the rotting body to end the dreams.
“After I completed the procedure, I went to cook and eat the chicken. I did that around four years ago, but because I had a minor issue with Benjamin, he reported the incident to the police,” Yusuf explained.
Nguroje said that Yusuf’s arrest was in response to a complaint from Benjamin Jatau, who accused the suspect of digging up a grave and severing a man’s skull.
Nguroje stated that the Commissioner of Police, CP Morris Dankombo, has ordered a discreet investigation and possible prosecution of the perpetrators.