The Borno police command has arrested a nine-man gang of serial ritualists known as ‘Karangiya’ who specialise in dismembering body parts of their victims.
Abdu Umar, the state’s commissioner of police, disclosed to reporters on Friday, January 20, that the suspects were taken into custody on December 16, 2022, by men of the command.
Their last operation involved a victim whose eyes were removed around the Post Office area.
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Umar said, “There was another case where a woman was killed and thrown into the river and her body parts were removed.
“On the Dec. 16, 2022, at about 1945hrs, one Mohammed Bukar, 18 year-old, from Shuwari area in Maiduguri, went and reported at Jere Division that he was on his way to collect his GSM phone from charging together with his friend.
“He said that they sighted a group of youths who called themselves members of ‘KARANGIYA GROUP’, armed with sticks and cutlasses coming towards their direction.
“On reaching them, the members of the group started beating Mr Bukar while his friend took to his heals and ran for his life.
“It was in the process that one of the armed members, Ali Bukar, used a long knife and attempted to cut the head of the victim, but the victim used his left hand to shield his head.
“Again, the suspects lifted the cutlass and cut off the hand of the victim and ran away, leaving him in a pool of blood.”
The Commissioner said that the police swiftly stormed the scene and arrested the principal suspect Ali Bukar and eight others for investigation and subsequent prosecution.
The suspects would be charged to court after investigation has been concluded.
