The incident is the most serious case
of grave-robbing in the West African state, the world capital of voodoo where
most of the country's 9 million residents practice a benign form of the
official religion.
Authorities in Dangbo, a village 10
kilometres from the capital Porto-Novo, began an investigation after a mason
working at the cemetery said he spotted several masked men digging up the
graves, from which organs and skulls were removed.
"The desecration of graves is
about money in this region," said Joseph Afaton, director of the cemetery.
"It is for sacrifices, or for
bewitching."
Body parts of humans and rare animals
are prized by some people in central Africa for their supposed supernatural
powers, and are used in occult ceremonies.
Traffickers often obtain human remains
from grave robbers, but a recent spate of killings has also been linked to the
gruesome trade.
Authorities in Cameroon in September
arrested five people suspected of trafficking human body parts after they were
discovered at a checkpoint carrying a severed human head.
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