Six suspects have been apprehended for allegedly exhuming a corpse to have eyes and other vital organs of the deceased.
The incident occurred in Kwami Local Government Area.
The suspects, who were nabbed by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Gombe State Command, carried out the act for ritual purposes.
According to the NSCDC spokesperson, SC Buhari Saad, the arrested suspects are "Adamu Umar (22), Umar Jibrin Aboki (21), Abdullahi Umar Dauda (17), Muhammed Isa Chindo (28), Kawuji Sarki (39) and Manu Sale (23), were apprehended during a joint operation by officers of the State Command Headquarters and Gadam Division on September 11, 2025, between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m."
They were alleged to have desecrated the grave of the late Mallam Manu Wanzam, an 85-year-old resident of Gadam who was buried two days after.
He explained that investigation revealed that one Kawuji Sarki contracted Muhammed Isa Chindo, who further engaged the other suspects, to exhume the body and harvest human parts, specifically the eyes, at the price of N500,000 each.
He added, "the suspects confessed to removing the deceased’s eyes before reburying the body. One accomplice is still at large, and security operatives are intensifying efforts to track him down."
Commandant Jibrin Idris, the State Commandant, assured residents of the command’s determination to safeguard communities from people who are out to carry out illicit acts.
Saad noted that the crime is not only a violation of the law but also a grave assault on human dignity and cultural values, assuring the good people of Gombe State that justice will be served.
He commended the public for their cooperation, urging the citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities promptly to the nearest security formation so that together they can defeat these criminal networks.
He also assured that the suspects will be charged in court at the end of their investigations.
