By Deborah Nnamdi
Nemesis has caught up with a 31-year-old man, Ahmadu Jiya, who exhumed the skull of his 90-year-old maternal grandmother in a desperate attempt to raise money through ritual means to offset a N2 million debt.
Jiya reportedly approached a herbalist, 70-year-old Mohammed Ndache of Nagya, Edati, seeking a quick financial solution. The herbalist allegedly instructed him to provide a human head—dead or alive—for a money ritual.
During police interrogation, Jiya confessed: “The skull belongs to my maternal grandmother, who was over 90 years old at the time of her death. I exhumed her remains to obtain the skull so I could perform the ritual and settle my debts.”
Jiya added that he initially presented the skull to the herbalist in the company of his friend, Mohammed Adamu. However, Adamu backed out upon learning the nature of the ritual. Jiya returned to his village with the skull and hid it in his residence.
Further investigations revealed that Jiya later connected with Abubakar Mohammed, 21, and together they agreed to a transaction where the skull was sold for N100,000, with N40,000 paid upfront. They were later introduced to another herbalist, 20-year-old Mallam Ali Mohammed of Tsyaduka, who promised to perform a ritual that would double their money.
However, when the promised results failed to materialize, the suspects confronted Mallam Ali for a refund. He asked them to meet him at a hotel in Bida, the headquarters of the Bida Local Government Area. Acting on a tip-off, police operatives arrested all five individuals at the location.
The Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrests, stating that the suspects are currently under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Minna. They will be prosecuted for their alleged involvement in ritualistic and criminal activities.
The arrested suspects include:Ahmadu Jiya, 31 (prime suspect), Mohammed Ndache, 70 (herbalist), Mohammed Adamu, 25, Abubakar Mohammed, 21, and Ali Mohammed, 20.
Abiodun reaffirmed the command’s commitment to curbing criminal practices rooted in superstition and ritualism.
