The Lagos State Police Command says it uncovered a chilling operation involving a gang of suspected ritualists who specialize in killing people and harvesting their body parts for sale across various states in Nigeria. The suspects, including an Osun priestess, a community chief, an Ifa priest, an Islamic cleric, and a traditional medicine practitioner, were apprehended through intelligence reports from the public, according to the command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin.
The ringleader of the gang, 33-year-old Ademola Akinlosotu, confessed to initially exhuming corpses from cemeteries and selling their parts to ritualists. However, he later graduated to killing individuals and selling fresh human parts to customers on demand, Hundeyin told reporters at the weekend.
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Akinlosotu revealed the disturbing price list for human body parts, stating that a fresh human head is sold for N45,000 to N50,000, while a dried human head fetches between N30,000 and N35,000. Hearts are sold for N70,000, and hands for N50,000.
In his confession, the suspect admitted to killing two people, including a friend he met through social media, before his arrest. He confessed that before any killing, the gang would consult a herbalist to determine whether the act would be successful or bring trouble.
Alarmingly, Akinlosotu alleged that a traditional ruler in Badagry requested him to kill his son because the son was causing problems for the ruler. The day the suspects were supposed to carry out the killing was when a friend he met online visited him, and that friend became their victim.
The Lagos State Police Command said it recovered exhibits of different human parts from the suspects, and further investigations are ongoing to trail other members of the gang. The suspects will be charged to court upon the completion of the investigations, Hundeyin stated.
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This shocking case is reminiscent of several similar incidents that have plagued Nigeria in recent years, highlighting the persistence of ritual killings and the underground market for human body parts.
In 2020, the Oyo State Police Command arrested a four-man gang of ritualists which specializes in exhuming and selling human parts. The suspects confessed to selling a human skull for N25,000 and a hand for N10,000, according to reports from the Punch newspaper.
In 2019, the Kwara State Police Command uncovered an alleged ritual killing syndicate operating in Ilorin, the state capital, as reported by the Premium Times. The suspects were accused of killing a young woman and harvesting her body parts for ritual purposes.
