Exactly six weeks after his case was adjourned, Saheed Musiliu, 37, a human skull dealer, has been sentenced to six years imprisonment with hard labour.
The judgement was delivered at the Magistrate Court 1 sitting in Iyaganku by Chief Magistrate Durosaro Tijani.
Musiliu was caught with one human skull on January 15, 2017, and arraigned in court eight days later, after due investigation by the police.
The accused was arraigned in a case with suit number MI/88/2017 on a two-count charge of unlawful possession of human skull and interference with a corpse.
The accused pleaded guilty to the charges, but prayed the court to show him mercy.
The trial judge had adjourned the case on January 23, 2017 as a result of the failure of the prosecutors to present the exhibits and evidence in court.
At the resumed hearing on Monday, the prosecutor, Inspector Amos Adewale, told the court that on January 15, 2017, at about 1:30am at Onibuke Zone 1, Aba Alfa Area of Olomi Ibadan in the Ibadan Magisterial District, the accused did unlawfully had in his possession a human skull, which investigation confirmed to be the head of the corpse of one Tajudeen Akanbi, which he has interfered with where the deceased was buried.
The deceased was said to be aged 62years old as at the time of his death.
According to the prosecutor, who presented the skull as one of the four exhibits in court, the offences contravened sections 329A and 242(1)(b) of the Criminal Code Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000.
The prosecutor also presented one witness to testify against the accused.
The witness, who is the Investigating Police Officer in charge of the case, Inspector Augustin Ihire, told the court that the accused led him to the deceased family’s house at Olomi, where he chopped off the deceased’s head.
Before giving her ruling, the presiding magistrate asked the accused to tell the court what he wanted the court to do for him with all the evidence and exhibits presented against him.
The magistrate also challenged the accused to tell the court why he should be favoured after all the arguments and evidence that he was actually caught with a human skull and also that he had been caught before with human body parts.
In her ruling, she sentenced the accused to two years on the first court charge of illegal possession of human skull and four years for the second count charge, which has to do with interference with a corpse.
The magistrate added that the judgement was without bail option, but that the accused reserved the right to appeal the judgement.
