The Niger State Police Command has arrested four men accused of offering their biological children for human sacrifice in a desperate bid to acquire wealth through money rituals.
The suspects allegedly approached a native doctor in Minna, Niger State, requesting that he perform money rituals using a human skeleton reportedly discovered during mining activities.
The men, identified as Ibrahim Mohammed Hamisu, 43; Abubakar Abdullahi, 40; Aliyu Sule, 25; and Mohammed Idris Dogara, 57, were arrested alongside a 40-year-old native doctor, Shehu Abubakar.
The arrests followed an intelligence report received by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit about suspected ritual activities at an isolated compound in the Garima area of Bosso, Minna.
According to a report by conflict reporter and counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama, the suspects were arrested on October 27, 2026, at about 8:30 p.m., while preparations for the alleged ritual were underway.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed the arrests in a crime bulletin issued on Thursday, November 5.
Preliminary investigations reportedly revealed that the four men had approached the native doctor to facilitate the money ritual using the human skeleton.
However, the native doctor initially rejected their request, claiming that he did not offer such services.
The suspects allegedly persisted and went as far as offering their biological children as human sacrifices in exchange for different sums of money.
Police said the native doctor eventually instructed each of the men to purchase a chicken and report to a designated location for the ritual.
Operatives reportedly stormed the compound while the suspects were carrying out the preparations.
One of the suspects, Aliyu Sule, was allegedly caught holding a blood-stained knife and preparing to slaughter his chicken, while the other three had already slaughtered theirs.
Items recovered from the scene included blood-stained red and white clothing, four calabashes, two live chickens, three slaughtered chickens, a blood-stained knife and a large mat on which the ritual materials had been arranged.
The police said the suspects confessed during interrogation and were undergoing further investigation ahead of their prosecution.
The command condemned ritual-related crimes and other violent offences, reaffirming its commitment to protecting lives and property across the state.
Abiodun urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to security agencies to prevent criminal activities in their communities.
