Suspected ritualist
By MARY RONKE, Minna –
Niger State Police Command has arrested five individuals suspected of engaging in ritualistic activities involving a human skull in Bida town.
The arrests were detailed in a statement issued on Saturday in Minna by SP Wasiu Abiodun, the command’s Public Relations Officer.
According to Abiodun, on July 19, police covert operatives, acting on reliable intelligence, raided a hotel in Bida and apprehended the suspects in possession of a human skull intended for money-making rituals.
Investigations revealed that the skull belonged to Ahmadu Jiya’s maternal grandmother, who was over 90 years old at the time of her death.
Jiya confessed to exhuming her body to obtain the skull, hoping to use it to generate quick funds to clear debts exceeding ₦2 million.
Jiya disclosed that a herbalist named Ndache had instructed him to acquire a human skull—dead or alive—for the ritual. Jiya initially presented the skull to Ndache alongside his friend, Muhammed Adamu.
However, upon learning the ritual’s requirements, Jiya opted out, returned to his village, and hid the skull at his residence.
Two years later, Adamu, accompanied by Abubakar Mohammed, approached Jiya to purchase the skull for ₦100,000, paying ₦40,000 upfront. The duo then delivered the skull to Ndache, who connected them with another herbalist, Malam Ali Mohammed, described as a suspected money-doubler. Mohammed charged them ₦500,000 for a ritual involving the skull, a drum, and other items, which they paid in installments.
Mohammed instructed the group not to open the drum until he gave further instructions, but he later became unresponsive.
Frustrated, Adamu and Abubakar visited Mohammed’s residence to demand a refund, citing no results from the ritual and pressing family needs.
Mohammed convinced them to meet at a hotel in Bida to resolve the issue, where Ndache was also invited as the intermediary.
The police, however, intervened, arresting all suspects at the hotel.
He said the suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Minna for further investigation.
