Operatives attached to the Niger State Police Command apprehended five suspects in Minna, Niger State, following an intelligence-driven operation that uncovered an alleged money ritual plot involving four fathers who purportedly offered their own biological children as human sacrifices in exchange for wealth.
Key facts from the incident include the arrest date of October 27, 2026, at approximately 8:30 pm, the location at an isolated compound in the Garima area of Bosso, and the recovery of items such as four calabashes, slaughtered chickens, and a blood-stained knife. The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the development in an official release.
How did the security operatives apprehend the suspects?
According to official reports, personnel from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit were on routine patrol within the Bosso axis when they received actionable intelligence regarding suspicious ritual activities taking place at an obscure property in Garima. Acting swiftly on the tip-off, the officers raided the location and caught the suspects in the act.
Those taken into custody include Mohammed Idris Dogara (57), Aliyu Sule (25), Abubakar Abdullahi (40), Ibrahim Mohammed Hamisu (43), and a native doctor identified as Shehu Abubakar (40) from Maikunkele. During the operation, authorities recovered physical evidence comprising blood-stained garments, a large mat, multiple calabashes, live and slaughtered poultry, and a knife stained with blood.
What led to the planned ritual?
Preliminary investigations conducted by the command revealed that the four male suspects had initially approached the native doctor seeking wealth through rituals, using a skeleton they claimed to have uncovered during mining activities. Although the native doctor reportedly turned down their initial proposition, stating that he lacked the capability for such practices, the men allegedly refused to back down.
Instead, they reportedly escalated their demand by offering their biological children to be sacrificed in exchange for varying financial gains. Yielding to their persistence, the native doctor allegedly directed each of them to procure a chicken and gather at the designated venue to commence the rites.
At the time of the police raid, Aliyu Sule was reportedly caught holding a blood-stained knife as he prepared to slaughter his fowl, while the other participants had already completed the slaughter of their respective chickens. While the suspects have reportedly made confessional statements and are currently undergoing further interrogation prior to being arraigned in court, authorities have yet to release details concerning the identities or safety status of the targeted children.