Horror as Police Uncovers 20 Mummified Bodies in Edo

Suspects say house is designated mortuary

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Edo State Police Command late Wednesday night announced it busted a ritual shrine in a building along Asoro slope, off Ekenhua road, Uzebu quarters in Benin city, recovering about 20 mummified bodies and arresting three male suspects.

The Command in a statement signed by the Deputy Spokesperson, ASP Jennifer Iwegbu, said the arrest was made possible through information made available to the police.

The statement read in part: “In pursuance of its operational mandate of nipping crimes in the bud, operatives of the Edo State Police Command today 17/08/2022 unraveled a suspected ritual shrine.

“Following credible information at the Command’s disposal that some corpses were discovered in a building along Asoro slope off Ekenhua road, Uzebu quarters, Benin city, operatives of the command immediately swung into action and mobilised to the scene.

“At the scene, three suspects, Chimaobi Okoewu ‘M’ and Oko Samuel ‘M’ both of Afikpo in Ebonyi and Gideon Sunday ‘M’ of Akwa-Ibom State were arrested while others fled. An intensive effort is ongoing to arrest the other fleeing suspects.

“Fifteen mummified male corpses, three mummified female corpses and two mummified children corpses were discovered at the scene.

“To this end, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Abutu Yaro has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of state CID to carry out a discreet investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the discovered corpses and therefore enjoins the general public to be calm as the command will continue to ensure the safety of all law-abiding citizens and those residing in Edo state.”

Meanwhile, suspects arrested by the Edo State Police in connection with 20 mummified bodies  said it was a house designated as mortuary .

At the site was a refrigerator, mummified bodies with mortuary tags, an area that looked like a shrine, a bed room and a stretcher was found in the uncompleted building.

One of the suspects, Chimobi Okoewu, who said he was supervising a POP work in the building, said the corpses were transferred to the new place, which is a proposed permanent site for a morgue.

He said: “I was supervising a POP work in the building. The corpses they found there were the ones transferred from the place they were kept before to this new place.

“The owner of the place is a mortician. He was told by his landlord to pack out of his former place.  So, he decided to relocate the corpses to his permanent site which is his own personal building. He was in a rented apartment before now. 

Another suspect, Gideon Friday, who said he had applied for the post of a driver, stated that he came to check if his application had been granted only to be beaten by youths in the community.

“I came to check if my application was granted, having applied for a driving job here. So, when I got to this place to ask for the director, some community people came and started beating me up.

“I told those that were beating me that I only came to check if my application has been granted but the community people didn’t listen and kept beating me. They later took me to the police station,” he said.

Samuel Okoh said the owner of the building was his boss, who was a mortician, adding that his boss owned the building, which was proposed for a mortuary, saying, “my boss had to relocate from where he was because the roof was linking, so, he decided to relocate to his permanent site.”