A 31-year-old man, Ahmadu Jiya, has been arrested by the Niger State Police for exhuming the skull of his 90-year-old grandmother to perform money rituals in a desperate bid to settle a ₦2 million debt.
According to police investigations, Jiya approached a local herbalist, Mohammed Ndache, who demanded a human head—dead or alive—as a requirement for the ritual. Jiya admitted to exhuming the skull of his late maternal grandmother and presented it to the herbalist.
“I exhumed the skull to raise money quickly and pay off my debt. The herbalist told me a human head was necessary for the ritual,” Jiya confessed during police interrogation.
The plan took a turn when one of Jiya’s friends, Mohammed Adamu, who accompanied him to deliver the skull, withdrew after learning the conditions of the ritual. Jiya returned home with the skull and later sold it for ₦100,000 to two other men—Abubakar Mohammed and Ali Mohammed—who were introduced to another herbalist promising to double their money.
The suspects were eventually arrested at a hotel in Bida, where they had gone to demand a refund from the second herbalist, Mallam Ali Mohammed. Acting on a tip-off, police operatives swooped in and apprehended all five men.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrests and said the suspects are being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna. He added that investigations are ongoing and the suspects will face prosecution for criminal conspiracy and involvement in ritual practices.
@Vanguard.