Gombe High Court Jails Five Men for Grave Desecration and Ritual Eye Harvesting

A Gombe State High Court has convicted and sentenced five men to various terms of imprisonment for the gruesome act of exhuming a corpse and removing its eyes for ritual purposes.

The convicts were part of a syndicate arrested in September 2025 by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Kwami Local Government Area. The suspects allegedly dug up the grave of an 85-year-old deceased man at Gadam North Cemetery, barely 48 hours after burial, and harvested the eyes before reburying the remains.

According to NSCDC spokesperson SC Buhari Saad at the time of the arrests, the operation stemmed from intelligence on grave desecration activities. The suspects confessed during interrogation that they targeted the eyes specifically for ritual use, with one middleman (Kawuji Sarki) allegedly contracting others and promising N500,000 payment per participant. One alleged sponsor, identified as Aliyu, remains at large, and security agencies continue efforts to apprehend him.

The case was prosecuted, leading to the recent conviction in the Gombe High Court. The sentences reflect the severity of charges related to criminal conspiracy, desecration of burial grounds, and unlawful handling of human remains for ritualistic purposes.

This incident underscores persistent challenges with ritual crimes in some Nigerian communities, often driven by superstitious beliefs in using human body parts for wealth or other gains. Authorities have urged communities to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities around cemeteries.

The court’s decision is seen as a step toward deterring such abhorrent practices and upholding respect for the dead.