Residents of Ikorodu area of Lagos State have raised concerns over the constant invasion of the Eyita Sabo Cemetery by suspected ritual killers and robbers.

The residents of Otuja Harmony Estate in the area on Friday decried the situation, noting that while ritual killers harvested human organs in the cemetery, robbers used it as a hideout for criminal activities.

a suspected ritualist, Kolawole, was arrested on December 10, 2021 with a human hand and heart which he exhumed from a grave in the cemetery.

It was alleged by the secretary of the estate association, Adebisi Badejo that the criminals operated unchallenged, affirming that various solutions proposed to the local government chairman were not implemented.

“We gave the council chairman six solutions. We asked the council to illuminate the cemetery, cut the grass, raise the fence and fortify security to wade off criminals using the place as their hideout. To our surprise, the advice was not heeded.

“The light installed in the cemetery is just three. In December last year, a suspect was arrested in the cemetery when he came to exhume a fresh corpse and cut off the hand and heart.

“The cemetery has become a threat zone where women are raped; their phones and other valuables are collected from them on a daily basis. We are also calling on the Lagos State Government and other political office holders from the zone to come to our aid.”

It had become a norm for suspected ritualists to enter the cemetery and harvest human organs, another source revealed.

He said, “This is not the first time ritualists will scale the fence of the cemetery to exhume corpses and cut off any part of human bodies they wanted. Leaders in other communities make a lot of effort to ensure that the cemetery in their area is properly secured, but the reverse is the case in our community.

“It was after the suspect (Kolawole) who exhumed a corpse was arrested that the council chairman came to install light and cut the trees, but the light installed is not enough compared to how big the cemetery is. Sincerely, there is no corpse buried in the cemetery that is safe.”

Also a resident, simply known as Iyabo, explained how she had been robbed several times in the cemetery area.

“The day Kolawole was arrested, I was coming out of the toilet around 1am when I heard him asking the guards why they arrested him after he gave them money to access the cemetery.

“Immediately, one of the security men told him to drop his gun and the bag that contained the heart and hand he cut from the corpse. A few minutes later, the guards overpowered the suspect and arrested him with the exhibits.

“Sometimes when I am in my room, I hear people being attacked by robbers; those attacked are mostly women. They also rape them and collect their valuables. I am appealing to the council chairman to provide adequate power supply to the cemetery and the community to prevent further breakdown of law and order.”

However, the Ikorodu LGA Chairman, Wasiu Adesina, said he was not aware of their complaints, noting that the council had started renovating the cemetery