The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Cross River State has arrested five suspected cult members in the state with a human skull, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Parading the suspects on Wednesday in Calabar, Danjuma Elisha, Commandant of the NSCDC in the state, told NAN that the suspects were arrested on Tuesday in Ogoja Local Government Area.
Elisha said the suspects were arrested through a tip off when suspected cult members from a rival group had a confrontation.
He said: “On August 18 2020, our attention was called upon concerning a secret cult confrontation at No. 50 Mission Road, Igoli, Ogoja.
“Upon arriving the scene, our men found a human skull and other bones believed to be human bones.
“The team on ground decided to swiftly pick the items and persons found within the vicinity for scrutiny.
“Ten persons were picked up and after interrogations, five persons were identified to have questions to answer in relation to the items found.”
Elisha told NAN that the suspects would be handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.
One of the suspects told NAN that they had a confrontation with a group of cult members that came to attack them in the compound.
He said it was during the process of the arrest that men of the NSCDC found the human skull in their compound.
The Commandant also paraded one other suspect for allegedly trying to sell her nine-year-old daughter at Bogobiri area in Calabar.
Elisha said: “Upon a tip-off by a good Nigerian on August 18, 2020, our men arrested one lady (name withheld) who went to Bogobiri in Calabar South allegedly looking for a buyer for one of her daughters, who is nine-year-old.
“Upon investigation, she confessed to the crime and alleged that the prophetess in her church told her that the victim was a witch and that she should not stay in her church anymore.
“While she was asking questions on how to sell the child, the person asked decided to inform us and we swiftly swung into action and picked her.
“In line with inter-agency synergy, we shall be handing over the suspect to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for further investigation and prosecution.”
In an interview with NAN, the suspect said it was when she complained to the prophetess that she had no food to eat, that the prophetess encouraged her to sell her child that she is a witch.
She mentioned the name of the prophetess that is in a Church in Itu-Okon area of Calabar Municipality.
NAN.
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