Grisly Discovery in Igbesa: Police Arrest Man with Human Head, Palms

​IGBESA — Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have apprehended a 43-year-old man, Idowu Ashafa, following a gruesome discovery during a routine midnight patrol in the Igbesa area of the state.

​The suspect was intercepted in the early hours of Friday, April 17, 2026, by a team from the Igbesa Division led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Solotan K. Owolabi. Upon searching a nylon bag in Ashafa’s possession, officers discovered a fresh human head and two severed human palms.

​Grave Desecration for Rituals

​Preliminary investigations conducted under the supervision of the Area Commander, ACP Folashade Tanaruno, suggest that the remains were not the result of a fresh homicide but were exhumed from a burial site.

​The command’s spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed the arrest in a statement released on Saturday, noting that the suspect allegedly confessed to digging up the body parts at Ido Itekun Village in Igbesa for ritual purposes.

​“The suspect was intercepted during a routine patrol. Preliminary investigation revealed that he allegedly exhumed the remains from a grave at Ido Itekun Village for ritual purposes,” Babaseyi stated.

ADVERTISEMENT

​Investigation Deepens

​Police technicians have already visited and documented the desecrated gravesite. The digging implements used by Ashafa were recovered at the scene and have been taken into evidence.

​To ensure a thorough prosecution, the State Commissioner of Police has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) at Eleweran, Abeokuta.

​The Command has used this opportunity to remind residents of the importance of community policing, urging them to stay vigilant and report any suspicious movements around cemeteries or isolated areas to security agencies.