A Minna Chief Magistrates Court 2 has sentenced five individuals to 60 years in prison for possessing a human skull.
They were convicted on three charges, including criminal conspiracy, trespass on a burial ground, and unlawful possession of a human skull.
The Police prosecutor, Inspector Mua’azu Abdullahi, brought the accused individuals to court on these three charges, which are subject to punishment as per sections 97, 213, and 219 of the penal code law, respectively.
The convicted individuals, namely Ibrahim Jiya, Suleiman Usman, Abdullahi Usman, Idris Mohammed, and Isah Mohammed, all hail from Sakpe village in the Edati Local Government area of the State.
The Police prosecutor informed the court that these individuals were apprehended by the police in Bida, and following preliminary investigations, the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for a thorough inquiry.
The prosecutor also informed the court that the individuals found themselves in possession of a bag, which contained a human skull. During the police investigation, these convicts admitted to seeking the services of an herbalist based in Minna to improve their financial status. The herbalist, in turn, instructed them to procure a human skull for the intended purpose.
“The five convicts in return stormed the Muslim cemetery in Nasarafu village, dug a grave in the cemetery, and brought out the human skull of one Late Yan Ndako Daniya who died three years ago,” the Prosecutor revealed at the Court.”
As the presiding Chief Magistrate Hajiya Fati Umar Hassan read the three charges to them, they collectively entered guilty pleas for all the allegations.
Following this, Inspector Mua’azu Abdullahi, the prosecutor, requested the court to apply section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code for a summary trial and subsequent convictions.
In her judgment, Chief Magistrate Hajiya Fati Umar Hassan sentenced each of them to 12 years in prison for each of the three charges, with compulsory hard labor and no possibility of a fine.