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Why I mummified my mother’s corpse – Man arrested at Edo shrine with 20 corpses
Osaro Nappiar, one of the suspects arrested at the shrine in Edo State where 20 mummified corpses were found, has explained why he kept the remains of his mother at the uncompleted building in Ekenwan Road, Benin City.
He spoke on Thursday after operatives of the Edo State Police Command discovered the shrine on Wednesday.
The Command’s spokesman, Chidi Nwabuzor, told newsmen that Nappiar stumbled in just when operatives arrived at the scene to cordon off the building housing the mummified bodies.
According to Nwabuzor, Nappiar told the police when he was accosted that he actually deposited his mother’s corpse in the mortuary run by one Chukwuma Otu, but left in search of money to give her befitting burial rites.
The spokesman explained that when questions were asked, the man explained that he took the corpse to somewhere on First East Circular Road, Benin City, where Otu, who is presently on the run was operating before he relocated to Asoro area of the Edo State capital.
Continuing, Nwanbuzor said that Nappiar further told the police that his mother died at an undisclosed hospital somewhere at Uselu, Benin.
He added that when the mother passed away at the hospital in 2021, he took his corpse to Otu, who claimed to be a mortician for safe-keeping in order to raise money for the burial.
He said that when Nappiar was able to raise money, he came down to where the remains were kept only to discover that Otu had changed base to Ekenwan Road, Asoro area, Uzebu quarters, but was told to produce a card as evidence before the corpse could be handed over.
Nwanbuzor said: “He (Nappiar) said that he was unable to produce the card as he was not with it.
“They asked him to come on another day which was today.
“That was why he came down here to collect the corpse for burial.
“He produced the card which is now with the police.”
He said that some suspects have been arrested and that they are helping the police in their investigations.
One of the suspects arrested by the police at the scene, Gideon Friday, however, denied any involvement in the ritualistic act, saying he only came to check if his application for the position of a driver had been granted.
Friday said: “I came to check if my application was granted because I applied for a driving job here.
“I was told that my contract has expired.
“When I got to the place to ask for the director, some community people came and beat me up.
“I told the assailants that I only just came to check if my request was granted.
“They (community people) didn’t listen.
“They continue beating me up.
“They later took me to the police station.”
Another suspect, Chimaobi Okewan, disclosed that Otu runs a mortuary and when he was given quit notice where he was before, he relocated to his permanent site.
Okewan said: “I was supervising a POP work.
“The corpses they found there were the ones they transferred from the place they were kept before to this place.
“The owner of the place is a mortician.
“He was told by his landlord to pack out.
“So he decided to relocate the corpses to his permanent site which is his own personal building.”
Nwabuzor, however, insisted that such a building could not have been a mortuary but a shrine stained with the blood of different animals and also there is no signboard.
A teacher at Federal Government College, Anka, Mustapha Yahaya Maru, has reportedly been k!lled by armed band!ts despite the payment of ransom for his release.
Sahara Reporters reports that Maru was abducted early May while travelling to Anka in Zamfara State alongside several other passengers after their vehicle was intercepted by the attackers.
Following the abduction, the k!dnappers contacted his family and demanded a ransom far beyond their financial capacity.The report states that after intense efforts and negotiations, the family eventually raised and paid the agreed amount in hopes of securing his freedom.
Tragically, the bandits k!lled Maru on Tuesday instead of releasing him.
His de@th has thrown his family and the Maru community into mourning and has further heightened concerns over the worsening insecurity in the region.
The Presidency on Wednesday said social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VDM, should face the law over the circulation of an alleged fake audio purportedly involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated this in a post on X, accusing VDM of disseminating false content on social media.
“This VDM needs to face the weight of the law for being the conveyor and disseminator of a fake audio of President Tinubu. This is a clear case of an egregious abuse of the social media platform,” Onanuga wrote.
The presidential aide was reacting to a post by an X user, identified as Aneex, who questioned why some people believed the voice in the audio belonged to Tinubu.
The user described the audio as “cheap propaganda” and alleged that VDM was exploiting emotions to spread misinformation.
In the viral content, VeryDarkMan allegedly used the audio to call on Nigerians to reject President Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 general elections.
The development comes just days after President Tinubu secured the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress at the party’s nationwide direct primary held on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
During the exercise, Tinubu reportedly polled 10,999,162 votes, defeating his sole challenger, APC chieftain Stanley Osifo, who secured 16,503 votes from over 12 million registered party members.
Meanwhile, opposition figures are already positioning ahead of 2027, with Peter Obi expected to fly the flag of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is also expected to lead the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has felicitated Muslim faithful in the state and the nation as whole on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir, urging unity, tolerance, sacrifice, and hope.
Mbah, in his Eid goodwill message on Tuesday, also called for charity, urging Nigerians to rise in solidarity with one another, especially the less privileged.
He said, “On the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir, I extend warm felicitations to our Muslim brothers and sisters in Enugu State and across Nigeria as they commemorate this sacred festival of faith, sacrifice, and devotion to Almighty Allah.
“Eid-el-Kabir reminds us that sacrifice lies at the very heart of true service to God and humanity. It calls to mind the profound blessings inherent in the virtues of patience, obedience, trust, and unwavering faith – values exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim and which remain timeless lessons for us all.
“At a time when our nation continues to navigate important political and economic transitions, the significance of this celebration becomes even more profound.
“Let us be reminded that we all belong to one shared humanity and our collective progress as a people depends on our ability to uphold unity, mutual respect, peace, and compassion above all divisions.
“This season, therefore, offers us another opportunity to recommit ourselves to the ideals of tolerance, sacrifice for the common good, and solidarity with one another, especially the vulnerable among us.
“As we celebrate, I urge all citizens to continue to pray for the peace, stability, and prosperity of our dear state and nation. Let us also continue to work together in harmony to build a society defined by justice, opportunity, and shared progress for all.”
He concluded by wishing the Muslim faithful a peaceful and joyous Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
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