The Assistant Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zone 17, comprising Ondo and Ekiti States,, has appealed to aggrieved children of Mrs Kehinde Hannah Bodunde over the mysterious death of the woman.
The zonal AIG, Mr Ajani Omolabi, said his office was aware of the petition over the mysterious death of the woman and the court cases over the matter, but said the family should sheath their swords pending the outcome of the court’s decision.
The eldest son of a deceased woman, Oluwafemi Ojo, has raised an alarm over the mysterious death of his mother, and an effort to conceal the cause of the death by other siblings.
The deceased, Mrs Kehinde Hannah Bodunde, was said to have died after an undisclosed sickness in the early part of the year. However, Ojo suspected that his mother must have been used by ritualists.
Speaking with reporters, Ojo disclosed that some of his siblings have suspiciously kept their sick mother away from him, the firstborn, and the only daughter of Mrs Yetunde, and the whole family, for three years in their house in Afunbiowo, Idanre Road in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
He said the mysterious death of his mother was announced on January 13, as his siblings also kept her remains away from the entire family.
Ojo said that the Deji in Council had earlier intervened and respectfully ruled on April 24, 2025, that First Mercy Hospital, Akure, should not release the corpse to the two men without the unanimous agreement of him, his elder sister, and his mother’s family.
He said that the Deji in Council also ruled that the corpse should not be buried in their father’s house at Idanre, but unfortunately, they flouted Deji’s order.
Ojo said that when sensing foul play, the case was charged to the Akure Magistrates Court, which gave an order that the mortuary must not release the corpse to the siblings.
He said that the family lawyer, Mr Femi Emodamori, on May 6, 2025, wrote a petition to the Area Commander, Fanibi Area Command in Akure, for alleged stealing and ritual mutilation of Bodunde’s remains.
According to him, my siblings kept our sick mother away from other children and the entire family for three years, but later mysteriously announced her death on January 13.
His words, “The Deji in council intervened in the matter and ordered that the hospital must not release the corpse to my siblings and they must not bury my mother’s remains without agreement of the children or Bodunde’s family, but unfortunately they flouted the order.
“The family later got information that the deceased had been buried by suspected ritualists at midnight, much earlier than the court order had been served on them. As the first son, I am not even sure if my mother’s body is being buried, and I’m not sure if her body parts are missing.
“My life is in danger now, as my siblings have threatened to kill me because of the mysterious death of our mother, which I raised the alarm about.”
He said that the court gave an order that the corpse must not be buried, and the court papers were served on them.
Ojo added that his siblings again bypassed the court order with case file No. HIGB/22/2025 and went ahead to bury the corpse even without family permission, the same day the court order was served on them.
According to him, “The Magistrate Court again graciously granted another court order of the corpse to be exhumed for further investigation by the police, but the police are delaying the matter. I smell foul play from the side of the police for delaying the order of the court of competent jurisdiction,” Ojo alleged.
The Police Boss said his office was aware of the case before the court and that the case has been a subject of a petition to the office of the AIG zone 17.
His words “I will enjoy the members of the public and in particular the parties involved to choose the part of peace as violence, agitation, and pointing accusing finger does not bring good results.
“There are operational procedures and protocol required before an exhumation can take place, and the area commander Urban has ever since the order of court served instructed the parties to come over for the process and the required document to be signed, but all to no avail. I want to make it clear that our officers and men are professional in discharging their duties.”
Echezona Okafor.
