Was it ritual murder? Police make a horrifying discovery in a building in the city of Benin: the mummies of 15 men, three women and two children.
LAGOS – Police officers have found 20 mummified bodies in a residential building in West African Nigeria. It is the mummies of 15 men, three women and two children, said police spokesman Chidi Nwabuzor of the German Press Agency.
Officials also found numerous fetishes in the building in the city of Benin in the southwestern state of Edo. It is assumed that these were used for ritual murders, according to Nwabuzor. The police have initiated investigations and arrested three people; other suspected perpetrators are on the run.
About half of Nigeria’s more than 200 million people are Christian and the other half are Muslim. Nevertheless, the belief in the healing powers of traditional medicine and rituals is widespread. In a few instances, human body parts are used in such practices. dpa
