Pastor jailed 3 years over possession of 2 human hearts in Ondo

December 3, 2022

A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Akure, Ondo state capital, has sentenced a 35-year-old self-acclaimed Pastor, Solomon Bello, to three years imprisonment for being in possession of human parts.

Bello was charged with two- counts charge of conspiracy and unlawful possession of human parts.

The Chief Magistrate, F.J Ajiboye, who sentenced the convict to 36 months in the Olokuta correctional facility, said the convict was found guilty of all the charges against him and said, “he is to serve the term as a deterrent to others of his kind that humiliate the dead.”

The Prosecutor, Abayomi Jejeniwa, while reading the facts of the case, said the convict, “on January 14, 2022, at about 7 am in Morayo Street Ayeyemi area of Ondo conspired with others at large to prepare a criminal charm with human parts.”

Jejeniwa also alleged that the convict unlawfully had in his possession some items which include; a transparent plastic container containing clean sliced pieces of human heart tissue which were from two human adults’ hearts, two bony structures of the human neck and the vertebrae colon.

Also found in the convict’s possession was one wooden casket containing different criminal charms and kola nuts.

“The convict, when arrested, could not give a satisfactory account of how he came about it to the police,” Jejeniwa said.

He said the offence contravene sections 213 (b) and 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 370, Vol. I, Laws of Ondo State, 2006, proving his case, the prosecutor, called three witnesses and tendered the found items as an exhibit.

The prosecutor prayed the court to punish him accordingly to serve as a deterrent to others who might be in a similar business.

The convict, in his defence through his counsel, S. Aliu, denied the allegations levelled against him and said the two hearts found in his possession were pigs’ hearts and bones he bought.

He explained that the Pig’s heart looked like a human heart after soaking them in the water.

But in his judgement, Ajiboye sentenced the convict to one calendar year in imprisonment for the first count and two calendar years for the second charge, without an option of fine.

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