Along with four accomplices, Ahmadu Jiya, 31, of Gbafu, was apprehended by the Niger State Police Command for allegedly exhuming his maternal grandmother's corpse for ritual purposes.
SP Wasiu Abiodun, the command's spokesperson, claims that the suspect used his deceased grandmother's skull in a money-making ritual. He explained that on July 19, 2025, based on reliable information, covert police officers arrested five suspects in a Bida hotel with a human skull that was allegedly meant for ritual use.
The remaining suspects were identified as Mohammed Ndache, 70, of Nagya, Edati; Abubakar Mohammed, 21, of the Duma area; Ali Mohammed, 20, of Tsyaduka, Gbako LGA; and Mohammed Adamu, 25, of Edati. Abiodun revealed that the skull belonged to Ahmadu Jiya's maternal grandmother, who was over 90 years old at the time of her death.
The discovery was made during the investigation. “He (Ahmadu) exhumed the corpse and obtained the skull in order to make quick money, to settle debts of over two million naira he had accrued over the course of time,” the Police spokesman stated.
He went on to say, "After presenting the skull to the herbalist Mohammed Ndache in company of his friend Mohammed Adamu and hearing the terms of the ritual, he (Ahmadu) decided that he could not comply with the terms and returned to his village with the skull and hid it in his residence.
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“After two years, his friend Mohammed Adamu, who had previously accompanied him to the herbalist, approached Ahmadu in company with another person, Abubakar Mohammed, and informed him that they required the skull immediately and were prepared to purchase it.
"Ahmadu sold the skull to Abubakar Mohammed and Mohammed Adamu for N100,000 and received N40,000 as an advance payment." According to a police spokesperson, Abubakar Mohammed and Mohammed Adamu then approached Mohammed Ndache, who introduced them to Ali Mohammed, a suspected money-doubler, who charged them N500,000 to perform the rituals with the skull.
He went on to say that the suspects met Ali at a hotel in Bida and demanded a refund when they didn't see results. The police then arrested them there. After that, the State CID Minna took all of the suspects for a private investigation.
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