The Niger State Police Command has arrested five suspects over an alleged money ritual plot involving four men who reportedly offered their biological children for sacrifice in exchange for wealth.
The suspects were arrested at an isolated compound in the Garima area of Bosso, Minna, where police operatives reportedly disrupted suspected ritual activities.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrests in a statement issued in Minna.
According to the police, the incident happened on October 27, 2026, at about 8:30pm, when operatives attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit received information about suspected ritual activities during a routine patrol around Bosso.
The officers reportedly traced the information to the compound, where they arrested five persons identified as Mohammed Idris Dogara, 57; Aliyu Sule, 25; Abubakar Abdullahi, 40; Ibrahim Mohammed Hamisu, 43; and Shehu Abubakar, 40, a native doctor from Maikunkele.
Items recovered during the operation included blood-stained red and white clothes, four calabashes, two live chickens, three slaughtered chickens, a blood-stained knife and a large mat.
The police said preliminary investigations revealed that four of the suspects, identified as Ibrahim, Abubakar, Aliyu and Mohammed, had approached the native doctor to perform money rituals using a skeleton they allegedly discovered during mining activities.
However, the native doctor reportedly rejected their initial request, explaining that he did not engage in such practices.
Despite his refusal, the four men allegedly insisted and offered their biological children as sacrifices in exchange for different amounts of money.
The native doctor reportedly instructed each of them to purchase a chicken and meet at a designated location for the ritual.
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Police operatives allegedly arrived while the suspects were carrying out the activities. Aliyu Sule was reportedly holding a blood-stained knife and preparing to slaughter his chicken, while three other suspects had already slaughtered theirs.
The command said the suspects confessed to the allegations and were undergoing further investigation before being charged to court.
However, the police did not reveal the identities or ages of the children allegedly offered for the ritual or confirm whether they had been found and secured.
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