A man who was arrested along with three men by operatives of the Niger State Police Command has disclosed that he was contracted to detect witches at a community in the state, killed one woman and injured two others he accused of engaging in witchcraft.
According to reports, on October 3, around 2:00 p.m., a report was received at Nasko Divisional Headquarters from Kokolo Village that the man, Mohammed Sani, aged 35 years, was invited into the residence of a community member where he killed a 65-year-old woman whose name was given as Tani Nuhu, inside the house.
On receiving the report, detectives were deployed to the scene and in the course of investigation, Sani and two others, whose names were given as Isa Lamaran, aged 65 and Abdullahi Hamidu, were arrested.
During his interrogation, Sani told the detectives that he was contracted and invited as a wizard who can detect witches by Isa Lamaran, Hamidu and one other person, Rufa’i Gado, currently at large, to kill three elderly women in the community over allegations that they were witches.
He also said that Lamaran gave him a hoe to use in perpetrating the crime while Abdullahi promised to give him two plots of land and his daughter’s hand in marriage if he succeeded.
He said he succeeded in killing the woman and injuring two others before his arrest and the two others.
The arrested men are currently in custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Minna, undergoing further investigation with a view to arresting other accomplice after which they will be charged to court.
In another development, on October 5, police operatives attached to ‘A’ Divisional Headquarters, Kontagora, while on routine patrol along Zuru road intercepted a Toyota Corolla loaded with 11 bags of Indian hemp, five bags of hard drug known as Chaff and five kilogrammes of methamphetamine, popularly known as Ice.
Information received by the division indicated that on sighting the police patrol team, the driver abandoned the car and took to his heels.
“The vehicle is currently in custody while investigation is ongoing to apprehend the driver and determine the source of the recovered items,” the command said in a statement on Thursday, October 8.
