Headline

Mummified Corpses: Edo Police Command Reveals Details Of Investigation

Published

4 years ago

August 29, 2022

The Edo State Police Command has said that the building where mummified bodies were found can not pass for a morgue, as the principal suspect, Gabriel Otu, has no approval to operate such, noting that a severed body at the facility showed there was more happening at the place than claimed.

At a press conference on Monday, the officer in charge of the Criminal Investigative Department at the Command, Olawore Oluwole, said in the course of the investigation, there was an interface with medical personnel, lawyers, members of the public, representatives of the Benin Traditional Council, families of those who deposited corpses, as well as a pathologist.

Oluwole said, “Following investigations by the command’s team and health personnel led by the commissioner for health, some documents were recovered portraying an approved location from the ministry of environment and sustainability.

However, the principal suspect, Gabriel Otu, later reported and made statements, and some other hospitals and mortuaries were equally visited and the following facts emerged.

“The principal suspect didn’t acquire formal training but only worked at different mortuaries as a mortuary attendant. He doesn’t have the certificate to practice as a mortician or any certification from the traditional board, ministry of health, ministry of environment, or any other appropriate certification.

“The building utilised by him was not certified nor approved by the ministry of health or environment. Other facts revealed is that the mortuary is not a layout for trado-medical institution.”

He added, “Twenty three corpses, as well as a dismembered without a skull, were found, and it depicts an unlawful possession and violates section 329 of the criminal code.

“There were also sacrilegious effigies found at the scene; some were inside while others were outside. These depict criminal elements in his possession and against section 213 of the criminal code. Some specimens were extracted and have been sent to experts for forensic analysis”.

Also speaking, the Edo State Commissioner for Health, Obehi Akoria, said the state government had given September 9 as the deadline for mortuary operators who are yet to obtain operational licenses to get approval from the ministry of health.

Akoria urged owners of registered mortuary homes to present their proof of registration to the state ministry of health by Friday, September 30.

She said, “The Edo State Ministry of Health is using this opportunity to reach out to all persons who own or operate mortuaries or embalmment homes to come to the ministry of health, directorate of regulation and monitoring, with evidence of due registration if they are duly registered latest by September 30.

“However, for those who are not duly registered, we are giving till the close of business on September 9 for them to present themselves to the ministry of health, where we will give them the basic requirements for the operation of mortuaries or embalmment homes in the state”.

Headline

Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

19 minutes ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

Headline

Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

48 minutes ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

Headline

US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

51 minutes ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.