GistNexus – April 26, 2025.
Gombe State has been thrown into darkness and shock following the abduction and gruesome killing of a six-year-old boy, Muhammad Ibrahim Bulama, in Bura-Bunga village, Bojude District of Kwami Local Government Area. The barbaric act, which has uncovered a web of ritual activities involving multiple individuals, has attracted immediate action from the Gombe State Police Command.
Gombe State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Buhari Abdullahi, added that eight suspects who were picked up in connection with the horrendous crime belong to a money-generating rituals syndicate. Initial investigations indicated the boy’s killing was schemed for ritual purposes to have wealth instantly.
The unfortunate story happened in the middle of February 2025 when Muhammad’s grandfather came to notice the boy was missing from their home. The area was searched instantly, but no result came of it. Weeks converted to days, and no trace was ever found of the small boy, much to the distress of the family. Hope was revived when, on April 18, 2025, the boy’s grandfather officially made a complaint at the Bojude Divisional Police Headquarters, and this resulted in the opening of an intense police investigation.
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The initial arrest of two suspects were followed by additional breakthroughs. On the strength of solid intelligence and tireless efforts of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, six additional suspects were arrested, ultimately exposing the hideous facts surrounding the tragic demise of the young boy.
Chilling Confessions: How the Crime Was Committed
The police investigations unveiled horrifying details of how the innocent boy lost his life. The major suspect, 45-year-old Magaji Adamu, alias Wazam, admitted to the killing. Police reports confirmed that Adamu had admitted being handed over the boy by 18-year-old Babayo Musa, who had himself been kidnapped hours earlier from his grandfather’s home at around 5:30 p.m.
In his confession, Adamu laid out how he stabbed Muhammad to death using a knife in a section of the bush referred to as Wuro-Doya. What followed was a horrific act—he divided the body of the boy into two equal portions. In a bid to destroy evidence, he tossed the upper half (from the waist up) into a well as he handed over the lower half (from the waist down) to two other accomplices, Jibrin Muhammad, also known as Ya’Haji, and Usman Abubakar Khalla.
Further details revealed that the act was not a spontaneous one. Babayo Musa played a central role in kidnapping the child and being a participant in the murder with Adamu. The lower body of Muhammad was then taken to Gombe town, where Jibrin Muhammad and Usman Abubakar reportedly collected it at London Mai Doruwa Quarters.
The second suspect, 28-year-old Sadam Umaru, was implicated for his role in providing vital information that facilitated the procurement of human parts. Umaru is said to have demonstrated to the syndicate how to locate native doctors who would perform the rituals, and thus played an active role in the conspiracy.
Two males, Idris Dayyabu, aged 45, and Abdulrauf Hussaini, aged 33, who were alleged to be native doctors, admitted to requesting human parts to perform ritual procedures. They acknowledged collecting Muhammad’s body, removing flesh from the lower section of the body for ritual purposes, and burying the rest to avoid detection.
At the same time, another suspect, 39-year-old Isiyaku Muhammad, was caught for criminal conspiracy and concealment. He had been shown by investigators to possess complete knowledge about the crime yet decided to remain silent on pertinent information, consequently incriminating himself in the criminal activity.
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Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the investigation is that the mastermind behind the gruesome killing was, in fact, the boy’s biological father, Gimba. Currently on the run, Gimba is accused of orchestrating the killing of his own son for the generation of ritual wealth.
Police investigations revealed that Gimba, who was claimed to be single to the mother of the boy, orchestrated the scheme by blackmailing members of the syndicate and coordinating abduction and killing logistics. His fleeing and fugacity have precipitated a manhunt by the police, who seek to arrest him and the last remaining accomplices on the loose.
The only fact that the biological parent was a participant in this heinous crime is what bewildered and gladdened most individuals in the community. People were shocked and infuriated that a father would have his own kid slaughtered for money. Betrayal of paternity for ritualistic greed has been one of the leading topics of discussion all over Gombe State and even outside.
DSP Buhari Abdullahi stressed the seriousness of the case, declaring that the police command would leave no stone unturned in tracking all the parties involved. “This Command assures the public that active investigation is underway to ensure that all those engaged in this horrible act, including those still on the loose, are brought to book,” he insisted.
Public Reactions and Police Assurances
The Gombe State Police Command, under the leadership of Commissioner of Police CP Bello Yahaya, psc+, has assured the public that it will ensure justice is served to the slain boy. CP Bello Yahaya urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to cooperate with police agencies by providing useful information that would assist in combating criminal acts.
In his public announcement, DSP Buhari Abdullahi emphasized the need for community participation in discovering and fighting ritualistic crimes. He called on members of the public to report suspicious behavior early, warning that ritual killings represent a serious danger to societal values and collective security.
The detention of the eight suspects has been widely welcomed by human rights organizations and child protection agencies, who called for speedy prosecution and a maximum sentence for the convicts. The campaigning groups averred that justice must be done to young Muhammad Bulama not just to provide closure to the mourning family but also to present a clear warning against ritual killings.
In the meantime, residents of Bura-Bunga village and neighbouring communities have been gripped by fear and sadness. The community leaders have convened prayer sessions for the deceased victim’s soul while calling for the government to intensify public campaigns against ritualism.
The murder of Muhammad Ibrahim Bulama reopened the debates regarding the continued threat of ritual killings in parts of Nigeria, where there remain individuals who believe that human sacrifices will bring them wealth or power. Both clerics and experts are now calling for greater education, more stringent law enforcement, and social reform to remove such lethal superstitions.
As investigations continue, the police vowed that justice will be served. The people of Gombe State—and the whole nation of Nigeria—hope for the day when the perpetrators of this heinous crime will face the full force of the law, ensuring that young Muhammad’s death will not be in vain.
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Contributed by GistNexus Team and Edited by Mr. Chibueze Onwuka