Man exhumes grandmother’s corpse for money rituals

The Niger State police command has arrested a 31-year-old man, Ahmadu Jiya of Gbafu via Enagi, for allegedly exhuming the corpse of his 90-year-old maternal grandmother and removing her skull for money rituals. He was apprehended alongside four accomplices: Mohammed Ndache (70) of Nagya, Edati; Abubakar Mohammed (21) of Duma via Lavun; Mallam Ali Mohammed […]

The Niger State police command has arrested a 31-year-old man, Ahmadu Jiya of Gbafu via Enagi, for allegedly exhuming the corpse of his 90-year-old maternal grandmother and removing her skull for money rituals.

He was apprehended alongside four accomplices: Mohammed Ndache (70) of Nagya, Edati; Abubakar Mohammed (21) of Duma via Lavun; Mallam Ali Mohammed (20) of Tsyaduka via Lemu, Gbako Local Government Area; and Mohammed Adamu (25) of Edati. They were arrested at a hotel in Bida, the headquarters of Bida Local Government Area.

The spokesperson of the Niger State police command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Friday, saying the suspects were arrested based on credible intelligence.

“On July 19, 2025, acting on credible intelligence, police operatives arrested five suspects in a hotel in Bida with a human skull in their possession believed to be for ritual purposes,” Abiodun said.

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He disclosed that during interrogation, the principal suspect, Ahmadu Jiya confessed that he exhumed the remains of his grandmother, who died over two years ago at the age of 90 in a desperate bid to raise money to settle a debt of over N2 million.

“He said a herbalist, Mohammed Ndache had instructed him to bring a human head, dead or alive, for money ritual. After retrieving the skull, he and a friend, Mohammed Adamu presented it to the herbalist. But upon hearing the conditions of the ritual, Jiya said he could not comply and returned home with the skull, hiding it in his house,” Abiodun explained.

According to the police, two years later, Adamu and another associate, Abubakar Mohammed, approached Jiya and offered to buy the skull. Jiya agreed to sell it for N100,000 but received only N40,000 as part payment before handing it over.

He said the buyers took the skull to Ndache, who introduced them to another herbalist, Mallam Ali Mohammed, described as a “suspected money-doubler.” Mallam Ali allegedly demanded N500,000 to perform the ritual, which the group paid in installments.

“He performed the ritual using a drum, the skull and other items, then instructed them not to open the drum until further notice. Weeks passed with no communication, prompting Adamu and Abubakar to confront Mallam Ali, demanding a refund,” the police said.

Mallam Ali reportedly persuaded them to meet him at a hotel in Bida, claiming that he would deliver their money there. Ndache was also invited as the original link to the herbalist. He said the suspects were all arrested at the hotel and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna for further investigation.

The police said a discreet investigation was ongoing and assured the public that justice would be served.