Five jailed in Gombe for exhuming corpse, removing eyes for rituals

A High Court in Gombe on Friday sentenced five men to different prison terms after they were found guilty of exhuming a corpse and removing its eyes for alleged ritual purposes.

The judgment was delivered by Justice Abdulsalam Mohammed of the Gombe State High Court after the defendants admitted to some of the charges filed against them.

Those convicted are Mohammed Isah, Kawuni Sarki, Manu Saleh, Umar Jibrin and Adamu Nasiru.

All the defendants are from Gadam village in Kwami Local Government Area.

The court handed down the sentences after the men pleaded guilty to parts of the charges brought against them.

A sixth defendant, Abdullahi Umar Dauda, was also arraigned in connection with the case.

The prosecution, led by state counsel, Ahmed Yakubu Gombe, told the court that the defendants were facing a 10-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, attempt to commit an offence, causing indignity to a corpse, unlawful entry into a graveyard, theft, destruction of public property, membership of an unlawful society, use of unlawful charms, and unlawful possession of a human head.

According to the prosecutor, the offences were committed on September 11, 2025, at the Gadam Muslim graveyard in Kwami Local Government Area.

Yakubu told the court that the defendants conspired with two other suspects, Aliyu Baka and Reuben, who are currently at large, to exhume the grave of a deceased person identified as Malam Manu Wanzam.

“They jointly exhumed the grave of the late Malam Manu Wanzam, unwrapped the burial shroud and brought out the fresh corpse. The defendants then removed the two eyes from the corpse,” the prosecutor told the court.

He added that one of the suspects, who is still at large, fled the scene with the plucked eyes, allegedly for ritual purposes.

“The accused persons unlawfully entered the Muslim graveyard at night, exhumed the corpse and removed the eyes of the deceased for ritual purposes, thereby causing indignity to the corpse and the grave,” Yakubu said.

The prosecutor further stated that the defendants also attempted to exhume another grave in the same cemetery on the same day.

He noted that the offences are punishable under Sections 96, 95, 218, 213, 286, 335, 306, 97A, 97B, 216 and 219 of the Penal Code Law.

During the proceedings, the defendants pleaded guilty to some of the charges after the court interpreter explained the charges to them.

Following their plea, the prosecution urged the court to summarily try them on the counts to which they admitted guilt, citing Sections 335(2) and 355(2) of the Gombe State Administration of Criminal Justice Law.

Delivering judgment, Justice Abdulsalam Mohammed convicted and sentenced the defendants accordingly.

The court sentenced Mohammed Isah (Chindo), Kawuni Sarki, Manu Saleh, Umar Jibrin (Daddy), and Adamu Nasiru to six months’ imprisonment under Section 218 of the Penal Code.

They were also sentenced to one year’s imprisonment each on additional counts.

On the charge of theft, the court convicted Mohammed Isah, Kawuni Sarki, and Adamu Nasiru and sentenced them to two years’ imprisonment each.

Justice Mohammed ordered that the sentences should run consecutively.

Accordingly, Mohammed Isah was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment; Manu Saleh to two years and six months’ imprisonment; Umar Jibrin to two years and six months’ imprisonment; while Adamu Nasiru was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment.

In his ruling, the judge said, “Having pleaded guilty to some of the charges, the defendants are hereby convicted and sentenced as stated by the court.”

The court further ordered that the trial would continue on the remaining counts against the defendants.

Justice Mohammed subsequently adjourned the case to April 16, 2026, for continuation of the hearing.

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