The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested a 55-year-old hunter, Yusuf Garba, also known as Gana, for allegedly exhuming his stepfather’s corpse and cutting off the head for ritual purposes.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, Garba confessed to the crime during interrogation on Friday.
The suspect, a resident of Tappare Kona Uku in Jada Local Government Area, claimed he was approached by the deceased’s son, who requested his late father’s head for a ritual.
Garba explained that after his stepfather passed away, his son initially tried to take the body to Jalingo, Taraba State, for burial but was stopped. A year later, the son returned and insisted on retrieving the head for traditional rites.
Fearing harm to himself or his children, as he believed the man was a witch, Garba complied. “I went to the graveyard around 4:00 am with a hoe, dug up the grave, and removed the head,” Garba said. He then handed the head to the son in a polythene bag.
Two weeks later, the deceased’s wife reported having recurring nightmares, which she believed were caused by the presence of the head in their home. Garba claimed he performed a ritual to stop the dreams.
