A man who was arrested last week by cemetery guards while allegedly attempting to steal a corpse from a grave in Koko-Besse local government area of Kebbi State, Yahaya Mamu, has denied the act.
Checks by our correspondent in the area among residents indicated that the situation has taken a new dimension following the denial of act by the suspect.
Mamu in a statement after he was apprehended said he was at the cemetery to carry out some repair works on graves which were damaged by heavy rainfall during the rainy season.
According to a member of the Jama’atu Islamic Bidi’a Wa’ikamatusnnah [JIBWIS] who does not want his name in print while reacting to the incident, this type of work is a sacrifice that does not need permission to be carried out in line with Islamic teachings.
Similarly, a resident, Abdullahi Idris Koko who spoke on the arrest, said such activities do not require permission, adding that in Mamu’s case the attendants were not aware of his intention until he was interrogated and confessed to have visited the cemetery and dug the damaged grave.
Koko said it was not the duty of the cemetery attendants to identify those who bring a corpse for burial or where it came from but to keep vigil on movements and tidy up the cemetery.
Our correspondent was unable to reach family members of the deceased for comments.
The divisional police officer in the area was not on seat when our correspondent visited but the spokesman of the Kebbi Command, SP Nafi’u Abubakar, said they had not received any information regarding the incident.
