The state Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, disclosed this during a briefing at the command headquarters in Ilorin.
In the first case, officers arrested Abu Jimoh and Ayo Jimoh over the alleged digging up of graves and removal of heads from buried bodies at a cemetery in Omupo, Kwara State.
Mr Ojo said the investigation began in May 2026 after residents visiting the cemetery to bury a relative discovered disturbed graves and missing heads. Police arrested the two suspects at about 5 a.m. on 8 October while they were allegedly digging at the cemetery.
According to the commissioner, the suspects reportedly confessed during questioning and named a herbalist, Mukaila Bello, as the alleged buyer of the missing human heads. Police said investigations were continuing and that they would arraign the suspects once they had concluded their inquiries. The information available did not confirm whether officers had arrested Mr Bello.
In a separate incident, police arrested Kamalden Lukmon and AbdulGaniyu Ibrahim at about 4 p.m. on 8 October along Bakase Road in Alapa. Officers recovered two suspected human hands during the operation.
Mr Ojo said preliminary questioning suggested that the suspects planned to use the body parts for money-making rituals. “During preliminary interrogation, the suspects stated that they intended to use the body parts for money-making rituals,” he said.
The suspects reportedly told investigators that a vigilante member, Abdulrauf Apata, had given them the suspected human hands. Police are investigating the allegation to establish what happened and whether others were involved.
Mr Lukmon and Mr Ibrahim remained in custody at the command’s Violent Crimes Response Unit as officers worked to trace the origin of the body parts and identify any possible victim.
The police urged residents to share credible information with security agencies to support investigations and prevent crime.
