Nigeria cracks down on organ trafficking and ritual murders

The arrested group encompasses a diverse array of individuals, including a traditional priestess, a local community leader, a traditional priest, Islamic clerics, and healers.

Identified as the ringleader, 33-year-old Ademola Akinlosotu initially disclosed his involvement in exhuming corpses from cemeteries for the sale of their parts to ritualists. However, upon further questioning, he confessed to committing murders and trading the victims' body parts based on specific requests. He revealed that he primarily harvested the victims' heads, hands, and hearts since these parts were most sought after, disclosing that a freshly severed head could fetch 30 dollars while a heart could sell for 50 dollars.

"I decided to start killing people because customers were asking for fresh, not dried parts of the body," Akinlosotu explained during the interrogation. He also mentioned consulting an oracle before each murder to ascertain the likelihood of success or potential trouble.

In a shocking testimony, Akinlosotu recounted a request from the traditional leader of Badagry, a coastal town near the border with Benin, to murder his troublesome son. On the day planned for this deed, a friend he had met online visited him, leading to the friend's murder as well.

Benjamin Hundeyin, a police spokesperson for Lagos State, briefed the press that the gang was tracked down following tips from worried Lagos residents. This arrest is among several successes by Nigerian police in addressing the issue of traditional, blood-soaked rituals. Earlier in February, in an adjacent state, police detained a man accused of luring and killing at least seven women through a dating app and then selling parts of their bodies to individuals engaged in traditional rituals.

It has been observed that the incidence of ritual murders in Nigeria escalates during periods of economic downturn, prompting some to revert to ancient cults seeking prosperity and financial gain. A notable surge in such crimes occurred in 2016. Following the disbandment of the Badoo Boys gang—infamous for killing their victims by smashing their skulls, burning them, and then selling them—the police extracted confessions from at least one culprit stating that among their clientele were politicians. These politicians allegedly paid hundreds of dollars for handkerchiefs drenched in the blood of the deceased, believing these macabre tokens would assure electoral victory.

A report by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta highlighted that in just this region, no fewer than 150 women and girls were slain for ritualistic purposes between January 2018 and December 2021. Moreover, in January 2022, another 10 girls fell victim to ritual murders in Ogoja, a city in Cross River State bordering Cameroon.