A 24-year old man (names withheld) has been arrested in Ganji Village of Gombi Local Government Area in Adamawa State for allegedly beheading his five-year old biological son.
The suspect was arrested along with a village head (names also withheld) who allegedly requested for a human head and offered to pay N1million naira.
The suspects were paraded on Tuesday by the spokesman of the Adamawa State Police Command, DSP Mohammed Ibrahim, in Yola.
According to the police, Alti Alhaji, father of the first suspect, reported the case to the Gombi Police Divisional Headquarters that the suspect took his son (Alhaji’s grandson), to a bush, but did not return with the boy.
The spokesman said when Alhaji asked the suspect where he left his grandson, he replied that the deceased was on his way home.
“After a while, the grandfather and some members of the family went to the bush to find out what exactly happened.
“It was on searching the nearby bush they discovered the beheaded, dead body of the boy,’’ Ibrahim said.
He said when arrested, the suspect confessed he committed the crime, which was committed on the 24th of July.
“When interrogated, he confessed and pointed at a village head as the one who directed him to bring a fresh human head, at a cost of N1 million,’’ Ibrahim further revealed.
He said the two suspects were under police custody for further investigation.
Answering questions from newsmen, the first suspect alleged that the district head of a village directed him to bring a fresh human skull.
He said the district head promised to give him N1 million if he delivered.
When asked why he chose to sacrifice his biological son, he replied that when the village head gave him the order, he lost his mind.
Also, answering questions from newsmen, the village head in question, aged 63, denied the allegation, insisting that he had no business with the first suspect, whom he said, was not his ‘age mate’.
“I didn’t direct him (first suspect) to commit such dastardly act. In fact, I was shocked when he pointed at me that I directed him to commit the crime,’’ he said.