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Security expert urges religious bodies, institutions and communities to strengthen security around cemeteries to prevent criminal activities and unlawful access.

Security expert Moruf Yusuf, popularly known as Ojogbon, has called for increased security awareness and proper management of cemeteries to prevent them from becoming hideouts for criminal activities.

Yusuf made the call in Series #137 of The Secure Mind, titled “Criminal Activities Within Cemeteries, A Call for Re-orientation.”

He noted that cemeteries are places where people lay their loved ones to rest and should therefore be treated with dignity, care and adequate protection.

According to him, poorly managed cemeteries can create opportunities for criminals to engage in illegal activities, including drug use, establishing criminal hideouts and the unlawful exhumation of human remains.

He warned that ritualists and other criminals could take advantage of cemeteries that lack adequate security measures, particularly those that are poorly fenced, poorly lit or rarely monitored.

Yusuf urged religious organisations, institutions, cemetery managers and individuals responsible for burial grounds to take deliberate steps to improve security around such locations.

He recommended that cemeteries be properly fenced, adequately illuminated and regularly monitored. Where necessary, he also advised the deployment of security personnel and installation of CCTV cameras to deter unauthorised access.

The security expert stressed that effective cemetery management goes beyond maintaining the physical appearance of graves, noting that adequate security is necessary to preserve the dignity of the dead and protect the wider community.

He further warned that once criminals discover that a cemetery is poorly secured, they may become emboldened to use the location for other unlawful activities.

Yusuf encouraged communities to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities around cemeteries to the appropriate authorities.

He said protecting burial grounds should be regarded as part of a broader community security strategy.

“Poorly managed cemeteries create loopholes that facilitate ritualistic exhumation.”

He urged Nigerians to recognise that protecting the dead is also part of protecting the living, and called for greater awareness, responsible cemetery management and sustained security measures.

Just be good. Reflect. Stay alert.

Moruf Yusuf (Ojogbon)
ANIPR, MISN, FCAI, FIIM, MSPSP