Five suspected ritualists including a Chief Imam known as Babalola have been caught in possession of a human skull and other human body parts in Lagos.
The cleric and four others were reportedly caught by of residents of Adamo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State before being handed over to the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).
A resident and eyewitness who confirmed this to SaharaReporters on Friday said that one of the Islamic clerics was caught with the human skull and he confessed that he was working for his principal, Imam Babalola.
The resident added that the suspects were detained by the anti-kidnapping and cultist Police Unit at Araro Adamo of Lagos State on Thursday.
“I have known the Imam for more than 5 years and this is a man the whole community is standing behind to pray, someone that most of us are looking up to,” the source said.
“People caught of his men with the head and some human parts, he confessed that he was holding them for the Imam. This was when the people stormed the Imam house and arrested him together with four of his men,” the source added.
This comes barely three months after a 45-year-old Islamic preacher has been arrested by the Nigeria Police, Oyo State Command, over alleged possession of recently harvested body parts.
According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the command, Adewale Osifeso, a Superintendent of Police, the culprit was nabbed by the police on November 6, 2023 at around 10:00 in the morning in Ogbere-tioya area, Ibadan.
Osifeso alleged that the arrest was made possible following credible intelligence reports from members of the public.
“The dragnet of the command caught up with the cleric after purposeful investigations and tracking around Ogbere-tioya Area, Ibadan, under Ona-ara local government area.
“The suspect was found in possession of items suspected to be fresh human head and two hands,” which he said were given to him by one Tijani Waheed, now at large,” Osifeso said.
Speaking with newsmen, the suspect confessed that the fresh human head and two hands found in his possession were for ritual purposes.
“I have one wife and two children and things are very hard for me in taking good care of them.
“I met one Waheed, who is also an Islamic cleric at a Maolud. We discussed the issue and he told me that he knows how to do a money ritual that would require the use of human parts.
“I told him that I don’t know how to get the human parts and he promised to get it for me. He later brought the human parts to me at Amuloko where we met early in the morning and I kept it in my office where I attend to people seeking spiritual assistance
“The police came to search my office on the day Waheed gave me the fresh head and two hands,” he said.
