By Ayodele Popoola
A 35-year-old self acclaimed pastor, Solomon Bello, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment by an Akure Magistrates’ Court for being in possession of human parts.
The convict was earlier charged with two-counts of conspiracy and unlawful possession.
After reading the facts of the matter, the Chief Magistrate, F.J Ajiboye, sentenced the convict to 36 months in the Olokuta correctional facility, after he found him guilty of the charges against him.
“He is to serve the term as a deterrent to others of his kind that humiliate the dead.”
The prosecutor, Insp. Abayomi Jejeniwa, while reading the facts of the case, said the convict, on January 14, at about 7a.m. in Morayo Street Ayeyemi area of Ondo conspired with some people at large to prepare a criminal charm with human parts.
Jejeniwa also alleged that the convict unlawfully had in his possession the following items; a transparent plastic container containing clean sliced pieces of human heart tissue which were from two human adults hearts, two bony structures of human neck and the vertebrae colon.
Also found in the convict possession was one wooden casket containing different criminal charms and kolanut.
“The convict, when arrested, could not give 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
To prove his case, the prosecutor, called three witnesses, and tendered the found items as 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.
He said the two hearts found in his possession were pigs’ hearts and bones he bought. He added that they swelled like human heart when he soaked them in the water.
In his judgement, Ajiboye said sentenced the convict to one calendar year in imprisonment for the first count and two calendar year for the second charge, without an option of fine.
