Man Beats Friend To Death, Sells His Vital Organs To Pastor For A Ritual

A man in Nigeria was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly beat his roommate to death and sold the victim’s organs to a pastor for a ritual.

The accused, identified as 34-years-old man Okpegboro Avwerosuo, stayed in Sagbama Town and was friends with the victim, who lived in another city. The accused invited the unidentified victim to stay with him on the pretext of starting a business together. Earlier this month, the victim moved into the accused’s apartment, local news website The Guardian reported.

Two weeks after the victim arrived, the accused beat him to death in the middle of the night and dismembered his body. Avwerosuo preserved the viral organs and disposed of the other body parts the following morning.

When the accused was disposing of the body parts, a neighbor saw him and became suspicious. When asked about his roommate’s whereabouts, the accused told the neighbor that the victim had gone to another town for some work.

The neighbor was, however, not satisfied with the answer. When the accused was away, the neighbor broke into Avwerosuo’s residence and found blood stains all over. He immediately alerted the police, who took the accused into custody, The Nation reported.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to killing his roommate and selling his vital organs to a pastor for ritual purposes. Details regarding the ritual were not known.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force, Bayelsa State Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the accused’s arrest and said the investigation was ongoing.

It wasn’t clear if the pastor has been taken into custody in connection with the incident and the charges levied against the accused were also not known.

Ritual killing and human sacrifice continue to take place in several African nations even in the 21st century. People are killed, mutilated and sacrificed for ritual purposes as many still believe that this can enhance their fortunes and protect them from harm.