NIGERIA The man seemed suspicious to people, especially the bag he was carrying. They decided to detain and confront him. When they forced him to show the contents of the bag, their fears were confirmed – there was a severed female head. Although this information is not confirmed, it is very likely that he wanted to use the head for ritual purposes.
In some parts of Nigeria, these occult traditions still persist, based on ancient religions, poverty and ignorance. Some people there believe that if they use a part of the human body in a ritual ceremony, they will become rich, powerful and prosper in business.
The Nigerian government is actively trying to combat this through education and stricter laws. But the traditions and superstitions are deeply ingrained in the people. There is also a problem with some spiritual healers known as ‘babalaw’ who promote the use of human body parts in these rituals. They are highly respected among some people and are a greater authority than the state or the law itself.
Most people detained with human remains for ritual purposes do not have it to themselves. They are usually part of a large criminal group who do it for money. This complicates the whole thing greatly and the police have no way of getting more information about these groups to break them up.