A gruesome discovery has shaken the Maitunbi community in Minna, the Niger State capital, following the arrest of three suspects in connection with the murder of a young woman, Hadiza Umaru.

The victim, a resident of Garatu, Bosso, was reported missing on December 1, 2024, prompting a thorough investigation by the Crack Squad Unit.

The investigation led to the arrest of Habibu Umaru, the victim’s biological brother, who confessed to deceiving Hadiza and taking her to a herbalist, Aliyu Mallam Taiwe, in Taiwe village near Maitunbi.

Taiwe and another suspect, Rabiu Aliyu, were subsequently arrested and confessed to administering a poisonous substance to the victim, purportedly to treat an “evil spirit.” The substance proved fatal, and the victim’s body was buried in a shallow grave.

A disturbing twist in the investigation revealed three additional shallow graves in the area, with evidence suggesting the same method of killing was used in those cases.

In an interview, Habibu Umaru claimed that his attempt to free his sister from a perceived spiritual problem led him to the herbalist, which ultimately resulted in her death after consuming the poisonous substance.

“I took my elder sister to the herbalist to help me check on her, and he told me my sister was not human but an evil spirit. During the treatment, she died,” he revealed.

Umaru also admitted that he brought his sister to the herbalist without their parents’ knowledge. They only learnt the shocking truth after the police investigation revealed his involvement in her disappearance and death.

Rabiu Aliyu, another suspect, alleged that the victim, believed to be a witch, was brought to be cured of an evil spirit. He confessed to administering the substance that led to her death.

“After administering the substance, she lay down on a mat. We noticed she was uncomfortable, with blood coming out of her mouth, urinating, and passing excrement. She later died. We removed her clothes and dug a grave to bury her naked along with her mat, plates, pots, and wrappers,” Aliyu stated.

When asked how much they were paid for the act, he disclosed: “We were given the sum of N100,000 by her brother. I got N30,000, while the remaining N70,000 was given to the herbalist.”

The herbalist, Taiwe, claimed that the other two shallow graves discovered contained the bodies of a man and a child brought by a student from outside Niger State for treatment.

The suspects will face charges of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide once the investigation is complete.

Three arrested for murder, conspiracy in Niger State