Three clerics—Aliyu Musa, Aliyu Taiye, and Wasiu Babatunde—have been arrested in connection with the alleged exhumation of a one-year-old boy’s corpse for ritual purposes in Omi-ifon, located in the Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, July 9, and has stirred varied reactions among local residents. According to The Hope, a state-owned newspaper, the boy, named Taiwo Bisiriyu, passed away on Friday, July 5, 2024, and was buried the same day with the clerics officiating at the ceremony.
Residents reported discovering items such as a pestle, mortar, concoctions, sponges, and a black pot in the clerics’ homes, suggesting possible ritualistic activities.
Risikat Bisiriyu, the child’s guardian, recounted: “The boy was ill, so I took him to a Maternity Centre. He was later referred to the General Hospital in Ore, where he died. I was overwhelmed with grief, and as Muslims, we decided to bury him the same day, inviting the clerics to conduct the burial.”
“When we arrived at the burial site, one of the clerics took the corpse into the bush to bury it. However, the deceased’s paternal uncle insisted on a different burial spot, which was closer and not as deep into the bush.”
“On Monday, around 10 am, while we were outside, the wife of one of the clerics mentioned a strange odor coming from her home, but we didn’t think much of it. Later, around 11 pm, we heard the cleric pounding something until 4:30 am. I remarked that only God knows what he was doing all night, which disrupted our sleep.”
