Police arrest five with human skull in Niger

From John Adams, Minna

The Niger State Police command said it was in custody of five suspects arrested with a human skull in the state.

The police said the suspects were apprehended by a sister security agency at the tollgate along Minna-Bida highway while on routine patrol, and were handed over to the command.

The police command, in a statement by the Public Relation Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodu, on Friday, disclosed that the suspected criminals were intercepted while driving on a Mitsubishi Lancer vehicle, and while searching the passengers, two suspects – Isah Mohammed, 26, and Idris Mohammed, 28, both from Sakpe village, Edati LGA of the state, were apprehended

According to him, “The two suspects were found in possession of a human skull wrapped in a Baco bag,” adding that the suspects had been handed over to the Police Area Command, Bida, for interrogation and investigation.

The police, in the statement, added that “during police interrogation, the suspects claimed that they got the human skull from their village, and mentioned three other persons who aided in digging the grave where the skull was exhumed.”

DSP Abiodun gave the names of other suspects as Ibrahim Jiya (18yrs), Suleiman Usman (22yrs) and Abdullahi Usman (24yrs). He said they were all from the same Sakpe village, in Edati LGA.

“They all confessed that the skull was dug out from Sakpe village burial ground, and that it was that of one Ndako Daniyan, who died three years ago in the village.

The police further said two of the suspects, Isah and Abdullahi, claimed to have met one Alfa Suleiman from Kwara State in Bida three weeks ago, who told them to get a human skull for money ritual..

Meanwhile, the five suspects have been transferred to the State Criminals Investigation Department (SCID) Minna, for investigation and prosecution.