TWENTYFIVE-year old Umaru Hamadu, until the fateful day of arrest by the Nigerian Police, had six human skulls ready for sale. The buyer, Umaru Usman Ali, 29 was waiting patiently for him to deliver the product.
The academic economic forces of ‘Channels of Distribution’ in trade also ring true in the evil business. So, while Hamadu is the producer, Ali, is an agent who searches for prospective customers. He profiteers as he bargains with the clientele.
Thus, after arranging with a customer, Ali had gone to Hamadu to collect the goods (skulls) when police led by Cpl. Ben Sunday, on a tip off, emerged and arrested him. The producer – Hamadu brought out a single barrel gun and fired at the policemen. There was exchange of fire and Hamadu was shot in the leg and arrested. He, however, died while receiving medical treatment.
Ali and the late Hamadu were arrested at Nbosung Village in Zing Local Government Area of Taraba State. "Ali hails from Yorro Local Government Area.
The Police Commissioner, Chintua Amajor Onu confirmed the development to
The Nation.
Although, Hamadu is now late, the State Police Command at the weekend paraded Ali with the six human skulls.
Another dealer in human skulls is 22-year old Thomas Aondowase of Bali Local Government Area. Cpl John Ogale Aondowase was able to apprehend him at Dan-Anacha market with one human skull and a human tongue while selling the products.
When paraded, the suspect told The Nation that he inherited the skull and the tongue from his late uncle who he named as Terseer Gaga who died in 2005. But a close scrutiny showed that the tongue was fresh, not stored for six years as claimed by the suspect.
Of what uses are human skulls, and where could they be obtained? Investigations revealed several sources and their uses.
It was gathered that some suppliers patronise cemeteries or graveyards where they exhume and behead already buried bodies. When the head is gotten, other organs could be removed and used for other purposes while the skull would be preserved.
One Mohammed, 19, who was arrested some time ago with his mother’s head, confessed they find it easier to exhume corpses that were buried without coffins and the grave not strongly built. He gave particular reference to the North, where Muslims bury their dead ones without casket.
Mohammed’s mother had died and was buried by afternoon in the backyard. That very night he dug the grave and exhumed his mother and beheaded her. His uncle got up in the morning and suspected that the grave was tampered with. But he did not know exactly what had happened.
In a quest to make quick money, he wrapped the head and took off to Gombe State for its sale, some 350km from Garba Chede, Taraba State. But luck eluded him. The commercial bus conveying him was stopped at Mutum-Biyu by policemen manning a roadblock who demanded a N20 denomination from the drive. The driver was asked to park for a check when he refused to ‘understand’ with the police. At this time, an inpatient and threatened Mohammed reached out from his pocket and threw N100 at the police to exit them. But the suspecting police insisted on checking the passengers. And behold, Mohammed was caught with the head of his own mother. Some of the passengers who had attended the burial identified it was the head of the woman they buried the previous day. The culprit was arrested and taken to the Jalingo Police Command.
Another way to obtain a human skull, sources said, is to simply kill somebody and behead the lifeless body. Yet, some heads must be obtained by beheading a person while he is alive, with cutlass. A fresh head, particularly the one with blood still oozing out, is said to be the most expensive. Other organs like the eyes, ears and tongue are first removed for various ritual purposes when a human head is freshly gotten,
There are several ways of removing the skull. One way is said to be by burying the head (after the other organs are removed) in a swamp soil to completely remove the remaining parts covering the skull. The skull is the bony case that encloses the brain. It is scientifically called the cranium.
So, of what use is the human skull to these dealers? It was gathered that the human skull, like other vital organs, is used for magical powers and magical rituals. A herbalist who spoke under anonymity said: "The history of a skull –whether it is of an infant, young or old woman or man is necessary." He said some fetish acts require skulls of people who just died while other acts require skulls of people who had died over many years ago.
The source said war lords or militia leaders drink from the skull for magical powers. It is believed that whenever they drink from the skull, they get ‘covered’ and become so powerful that nothing physical or spiritual can harm them –not even a bullet can penetrate their mortal body. Such a skull must be of an old man. But before then, certain cultic initiations are carried out. If an ordinary person drinks in the skull, he or she would take ill, because they are not initiated in the industry.
For other magical operations –that manipulate aspects of reality, such as turning things into other forms, like sand into rice or other manipulations, the skull of a young man or woman is used.
The head of a baby is said to be used for protection against spiritual attacks. "If you do it and another person wants to harm you spiritually, it will not work because the baby does not know any bad or good. Even a gun cannot trigger when pointed at you if you do this ritual", another source said.
He said the magic works in such a way that anybody older than the baby used cannot harm you. The repercussion however, the source noted, is that when you use a baby, for instance of three months old to perform the act, you cannot hold any baby aged three months and below. "Because, since the baby has become your protection, any offensive thing the boy or girl does to you could lead to your dead.
"That is why anybody who has done that does not hold or play with a baby of similar age, even his own child. You can see some politicians who indulge in the fetish act do not carry their babies until they grow older than the victims used," he said.
A complete human head, sources said, is more expensive than a skull. Then a very fresh human head, particularly the one whose blood is still oozing out, is more costly than the one preserved for some time. A fresh head, sources said, could go for as high as N1million to N2million depending on the urgency placed by the customer.
For a skull, it cost from N90, 000 to N400,000, depending also on the urgency, wealth status of the customer and the brokers involved in the transaction. He said desperate politicians and strangers pay higher than the agents and their regular clients. He added that some politicians use human heads to win elections and to maintain their appointments.
He stated further: "Other individuals from various walks of life, who belong to secret societies, too use human skulls for ritual acts to protect their positions and or get quick promotions to acquire more wealth. Not that a ritual act involving human skulls or other organs can directly give you money. Some human parts are used in baking charms for various financial purposes."
For suppliers, sources revealed that there are big time dealers who specialize in both buying and reselling or who have employed a killer or seeker group that kills and beheads victims or exhumes skulls from cemeteries and other sources.
Police said it is unlawful to be in possession of a human skull, because it is believed somebody may have been killed in the process. So, if you are caught in the act, you will be arrested and tried in the court of law and appropriately punished if found guilty.
The human skull business is thriving in Taraba like in most Nigerian cities, in recent time. Police said they are poised to crackdown on the crime. Ali and Aondowase are already awaiting trial.
Source : The Nation Newspaper
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