The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested a nine-member group suspected of engaging in ritualistic activities under the guise of the ‘Neo Black Movement, NBM,’ seizing a jerry can filled with human blood in the process. The arrest took place at a cemetery in Dutsen Abba Ward along the Zaria-Kaduna expressway. ASP Mansur Hussaini, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, verified the arrest on Sunday, attributing it to a tip-off received by the authorities.
According to Hussaini, the arrests were made after authorities were alerted to the presence of a group at the cemetery. Among those apprehended for their alleged involvement in ritualistic practices are Samson Ezekiel (32), Samuel Francis (27), Usman Nura (34), Gabriel Sheba (23), Haruna Sa’id (37), Bala Lukman (27), and Jabir Rilwan (37). Upon searching their vehicle, a Lexus sedan, registered as RSH 712 CW, authorities discovered two locally made pistols, a Beretta pistol, two jacket knives, two calabashes, and a jerry can filled with human blood.
The suspected ritualists, consisting of both new and old members, were caught in the act of initiating new members. They confessed to obtaining the human blood by slaughtering an elderly man and disposing of his remains near the Jaji military cantonment in the neighboring Igabi Local Government Area. Additionally, they admitted that the victim’s vital organs were removed by another gang from Kaduna.
In addition to the seven suspects apprehended along the Zaria-Kaduna expressway, two others were nabbed by locals at ABU Congo Conference Hotels along the old Jos road. These individuals were identified as Austin Ifinju, a 28-year-old from Ondo State, and Aliyu Ali Yahaya, a 24-year-old resident of Hadu Nasko road in Abuja. Investigations into the matter are currently underway, as confirmed by ASP Mansur Hussaini.
