Crime
Hunting down those who kill people to sell their body parts for ‘magic charms
“I was working with some big, big politicians in Guinea, Senegal and Nigeria. We have our team. Sometimes during election time, at night, this place is full of people.”
• Picture of Papayo’s mother Sally Kalokoh / BBC.
With many families left traumatised by killings apparently linked to supposed magic rituals in Sierra Leone, BBC Africa Eye looks into those behind the trade in human body parts.
The mother of an 11-year-old boy murdered as part of a suspected black magic killing four years ago is devastated that no-one has yet been brought to justice for his death.
“Today I’m in pain.They killed my child and now there is just silence,” Sallay Kalokoh told BBC Africa Eye, explaining how her son Papayo was found with parts of his body removed, including his vital organs, eyes and one arm.
He had gone out to sell fish at the market and never came back.His family searched for him for two weeks – and finally found his mutilated corpse at the bottom of a well.
“We always tell our children to be careful. If you are selling, don’t go to a corner or take gifts from strangers. It happens frequently in this country,” Ms Kalokoh said.
This murder in my hometown of Makeni, in central Sierra Leone, has haunted me as we often hear of reports of killings linked to black magic, also known as juju, that are never followed up or properly investigated by the authorities.
In Papayo’s case, the police did not even confirm that it was a “ritual killing” – when a person is murdered so that parts of their body can be used in so-called magic rituals by illicit juju practitioners.
They promise things like prosperity and power to clients who pay large sums in the false belief that human body parts can make such charms more potent
.But with the authorities severely under-resourced – there is only one pathologist in a country that has a population of 8.9 million – it is often impossible to gather the evidence needed to track down the culprits.
Belief in witchcraft is also so deeply ingrained in Sierra Leone, even among many police officers, that there is often a fear of pursuing cases further – and most go unsolved.
Our BBC Africa Eye team was able to find two people who claimed they were juju practitioners and offered to obtain body parts for ritual purposes.
Both said they were part of much larger networks – and one boasted that he had powerful clients across West Africa.
The BBC was unable to verify these claims.
One member of our team went undercover, using the name Osman, to pose as a politician who wanted to achieve power through human sacrifice.
We first travelled to a remote area of Kambia district, in the north of the country near the Guinean border, to meet the juju man in his secret shrine – an area in dense bush where he consulted with his clients.
“When Osman specified that he wanted limbs from a woman to be used in a ritual, Kanu got down to business: “The price of a woman is 70m leones [£2,500; $3,000].”
Calling himself Kanu, he wore a ceremonial red mask covering his whole face to conceal his identity and boasted of his political connections.
“I was working with some big, big politicians in Guinea, Senegal and Nigeria. We have our team. Sometimes during election time, at night, this place is full of people,” he claimed.
Election season is regarded by some as a particularly dangerous time when parents have been warned to take special care of their children because of the heightened risk of abductions.
On a second visit, Kanu became more confident and showed Osman what he said was evidence of his trade – a human skull.
“You see this? This belongs to someone. I dried it for them. It is a woman’s skull. I am expecting the person to pick this up today or tomorrow.”
He also pointed to a pit behind his shrine:
“This is where we hang human parts. We slaughter here, and the blood goes down there… Even big chiefs, when they want power, come here. I give them what they want.
“When Osman specified that he wanted limbs from a woman to be used in a ritual, Kanu got down to business: “The price of a woman is 70m leones [£2,500; $3,000].”
Anxious not to put anyone at risk, we did not meet Kanu again. He may have been a scammer, but we handed over our evidence to the local police to investigate further.
Such juju men sometimes refer to themselves as herbalists, the name given to healers who use traditional medicine often made from local plants to treat common illnesses.
Crime
Gateman flees after murder of a manager with Okeyson Transport
They went to Abdullahi Dairu, and he mentioned one of his friends, claiming he went out with him. But when the wife called that same friend, he said he hadn’t seen him that day,” the source stated.
Image credit : Instagram
A gateman identified as Abdullahi Dairu has been nowhere to be found following the murder of a 67-year-old man, Chief Augustine Nwalieze, a manager with Okeyson Transport.
Chief Nwalieze’s body was discovered with deep machete wounds in his home at Ajah area of Lagos State, a development that has thrown his family and friends into mourning.
It was learned that Nwalieze was attacked Saturday morning as he prepared to go out.
Nwalieze lived with his wife, daughter, two maids, and another woman, who were upstairs at the time of the incident.
A family source said the victim’s gateman identified as Abdullahi Dairu has been nowhere to be found since the incident.
According to the source, Dairu allegedly attacked Nwalieze for yet-to-be-ascertained reasons as the victim walked downstairs to the car park, close to the store where spare parts from his cars are kept and a solar panel was stored.
“Nobody could really tell what happened. They didn’t hear the sound of any car driving off or the gate opening.
His three cars were still parked, so, they became worried about his whereabouts.
They called his phone, but he didn’t pick up,” the source said.
The source added that Dairu could not give a straight answer when questioned about his boss’ whereabouts.
They went to Abdullahi Dairu, and he mentioned one of his friends, claiming he went out with him. But when the wife called that same friend, he said he hadn’t seen him that day,” the source stated.
The case against Dairu grew stronger after he went into hiding, the source further stated.“
By the time they returned to question him again, he had disappeared. That was when they began to search the compound thoroughly.
They found his lifeless body in one of the flats downstairs.
He had machete cuts on his head, hands, and body. It was a terrible sight,” the source disclosed.
The victim was immediately rushed to hospital but efforts to revive him failed.
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday arraigned former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai on a newly amended five-count charge involving the alleged unlawful wiretapping of National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu.
Appearing before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at the Federal High Court in Abuja, El-Rufai pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The charges allege violations of the Cybercrimes Amendment Act 2024 and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, specifically regarding unauthorized interception of communications and compromising public safety.
The case originated from a February 13, 2026, interview on Arise News, where El-Rufai reportedly admitted to tapping the NSA’s phone lines. He claimed the surveillance revealed a plot by the DSS to arrest him at the Abuja airport following a trip to Cairo.
On March 2, the ICPC raided El-Rufai’s Abuja residence, reportedly recovering specialized wiretapping equipment and documents.
A major point of contention during the proceedings was the prosecution’s application to conceal the identities of two key witnesses.
The Prosecution argued that using pseudonyms is necessary to protect the witnesses and their families from potential attacks by El-Rufai’s sympathizers.
The Defence lead counsel Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, opposed the request, arguing it is a constitutional right for the accused to face his accusers. He noted there was no evidence that El-Rufai leads a “cult-like” following or poses any physical threat.
The defense team also moved to quash the charges entirely, though the prosecution urged the court to dismiss the application as meritless.
Furthermore, Iyamu objected to a request for three consecutive trial days, citing the difficulty of accessing his client. El-Rufai is currently in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on separate matters.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until May 18, 19, and 20, when the court will rule on the pending applications and begin the trial. If convicted, the former governor faces up to three years in prison.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, on a five-count amended charge bordering on an alleged breach of national security.
El-Rufai, who was arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, pleaded not guilty to all counts.
When the case was called, counsel to the DSS, Oluwole Aladedoye, informed the court that the matter was fixed for the defendant to take his plea.
Aladedoye, however, told the court that a further amended five-count charge had been filed on April 13.
The lawyer prayed the court to substitute it for the earlier three-count charge.
Responding, counsel to El-Rufai, Oluwole Iyamu, said he had been served with the amended charge and did not oppose the application.
The judge subsequently struck out the earlier three-count charge.
After the counts were read, the former governor pleaded not guilty, and Aladedoye sought three consecutive trial dates.
Iyamu, however, objected to the request for consecutive trial days for the commencement of trial.
He submitted that since the defendant had been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), access to him within that period might be difficult.
According to him, the proposed schedule would not be in the best interest of the defence.
Iyamu also informed the court of a bail application filed on February 17.
However, the further affidavit in support of the bail application was not in the court file, prompting the judge to stand down the matter for Iyamu to address the issue.
Upon resumption, the further affidavit was located.
The DSS stated that it did not oppose the bail application.
The prosecution then moved an application seeking an order to conceal the identities of two witnesses expected to testify.
The DSS requested that:
• The identities of the witnesses should not appear in public court records.
• Pseudonyms should be used during the trial.
The prosecution argued that the witnesses’ families could be vulnerable to attack from persons sympathetic to El-Rufai.
The defence opposed the request through an application, written address, and further affidavit, urging the court to dismiss it.
The defence argued that it is the constitutional right of an accused person to know his accusers.
It further submitted that there was no evidence before the court to suggest that El-Rufai had a cult-like following or posed any threat.
Counsel stated that the defendant had dedicated his life to public service and warned that granting a blanket anonymity order could cause serious prejudice to the accused.
The defence also applied for an order directing the prosecution to furnish it with proof of evidence to prepare for trial.
The prosecution opposed the request through a counter-affidavit.
It argued that the materials sought by the defence were unrelated to the prosecution’s filed processes.
The defence informed the court that it had also filed an application to quash the charge.
• Legal arguments were raised that an application to quash cannot be brought after a plea has been taken.
The prosecution filed a written address urging the court to dismiss the application for lacking merit.
The case has been adjourned till May 18 for continuation of hearing.
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