In his 2020-book, Life in the Trenches with a forensic pathologist in Africa, Dr Ryan Blumenthal, describes how the autopsies of many bodies delivered many amulets in his mortuary.  On one occasion when he had to conduct autopsies on six men who died during a police shoot-out, he found they had all been wearing ta’weezes – lockets containing Islamic scripture. It turned out these men were part of a cell group who financed terrorist activities by robbing Cash-in-Transit armoured vehicles.

In an unrelated case, in August 2012 a six-week wild cat mining strike in the Rustenburg district of South Africa ended in the Marikana Massacre where 17 miners were gunned down by the police. In the two days prior to the massacre, two policemen, two security officers and two mining officials were killed by the striking miners. During the autopsies of the 17 men, it was revealed all the deceased miners wore amulets and had scarifications, which they believed would have made them bulletproof.

Although the ancient belief that objects can be imbued with spirits, and that human blood sacrifices can enhance prosperity, provide protection against evil or bring good fortune has been proved unscientific and relegated largely to superstition, it is clearly still rife in Africa. 

During the 13th century AD, the three African kingdoms of N’Goyo, Loango and Kakongo dominated the region of the mouth of the Congo River on the West Coast of Africa. Today they are fused into Cabinda, which was granted independence by Portugal in 1975, but shortly after it was proclaimed a province of Angola. The Congo-basin is traditionally believed to be inhabited by spiritual powers. By 1700, Cabinda had become the leading slave port north of Luanda, and the economy rested heavily on the sale of the enslaved, thus the African-American belief of occult magic or voodoo was transported to the Americas.

In Cabina Nkisi refers to an object that is inhabited by a spirit. Among the peoples of the Congo Basin, there exists a belief that one can tap into superhuman powers, by harnessing the dead spirits or bakisi. A Nganga is a healer, diviner, and a mediator who intervenes between the material and the spiritual worlds and can defend the living against black magic or witchcraft. Bakisi are usually trapped in dolls or figurines but the Nganga can use any object such as a vessel, shell or animal horn, all called minkisi, to house the spirits of the bakisi. Thus the practice of ‘mojo bags’ originated. Mojo bags can contain many imbued objects such as fruit, charcoal or nails, which may not have a pharmaceutical purpose of healing, but it certainly has a psychological or therapeutical value.

A Nkondi is a particular subclass of minkisi with malevolent intent. They are primarily male figurines with nails embedded in them and they may be decorated with shards of mirrors on their eyes to reflect the spiritual world. Some of them have tubes filled with gunpowder. These are used when the imbued spirits are invoked to enforce oaths, and cause or cure sicknesses. A person swearing an oath on a Nkondi and who does not fulfil it, will be struck down with the particular illness held by that spirit.  Perhaps the most common use of Nkondi is to detect and punish criminals and to avenge their crimes.

Detectives in White Coats

In his book, Dr Blumenthal says: “Although they cannot speak, the dead have a lot to say,” “A dead body is a crime scene of sorts,” and “Forensic pathologists are detectives in white coats”.  The case study of Adam, a boy originating from West coast Africa, who was sacrificed in Britain is a good example of Dr Blumenthal’s quotes in action.

On 21 September 2001, a member of the public, Aiden Minter, spotted what he believed to be a mannequin in the Thames River in London and then police made a gruesome discovery when they fished out the mutilated torso of a young boy on the banks of the river, near the Globe Theatre. Although his head and limbs were missing, he was wearing orange shorts.

A task team, led by detective inspector Will O’Reilly named the boy Adam. After initial investigations proved negative O’Reilly decided to call in forensic experts, led by Ray Fysh, a specialist advisor to the Forensic Science Service to shed light on the enigma of Adam. 

Adam’s autopsy revealed his head and limbs had been surgically removed and this throat was slit to drain blood from his body. Professor Ken Pye, a forensic geologist from Royal Holloway, University of London, gave pointers as to the analysis of Adam’s stomach content. Trace minerals in his bones showed Adam had only been in England for a few days or weeks before he was murdered. Detectives were by now of strong opinion that he had been trafficked to England for ritual purposes.  

Andy Urquhart, a researcher with the forensic science unit, assisted on narrowing down mitochondrial DNA. A team of scientists, including detective O’Reilly travelled to Nigeria to collect over 150 samples of soil, rock, grain and animal bones, which enabled Professor Pye to identify the area around Benin city, a region of southwestern Nigeria, as Adam’s possible origin. Botanists from Kew Gardens analysing Adam’s stomach contents found he had been fed Calabar bean, known to be used in West-African witchcraft rituals due to its quality for causing paralysis, without numbing pain.  Adam was aware of what was being done to him, but paralysed.  He was sedated by ground-up seeds from the Datura plant which causes hallucinations. 

Detectives established Adam’s orange shorts was purchased from Kids & Company in Germany.  In July 2002 social workers had reported a Nigerian woman, Joyce Osagiede in Glasgow for child neglect.  She claimed she fled from a Yoruba cult who wanted to kill her son. Yoruba is a West-African language.  The detectives working on Adam’s case were alerted.  Detective sergeant Nick Chalmers found orange shorts, similar to what Adam was wearing, in her apartment. 

She was deported back to Nigeria and escorted by detectives. Joyce originated from Benin, which was also identified as Adam’s home city.  German police established Joyce had been living in Germany in 2001 – where Adam’s shorts were bought. After arriving back in Nigeria, Joyce disappeared, but analysis of her phone led detectives to a Nigerian man called Kingsley Ojo. A house search delivered several macabre ritual items, but Adam’s DNA could not be traced there. In July 2004, Ojo along with 21 other men and women were charged with human trafficking offences and jailed for four years. In 2008 he was deported to Nigeria.

Joyce reappeared and confessed she had looked after Adam in Hamburg, where she had bought him the shorts and then she disappeared again. In 2011during a BBC visit, she identified Ojo as the man to whom she had handed Adam. Joyce died later – a confused person with mental health problems. 

Adam was buried in December 2006 in an unmarked grave in a London cemetery, with the detectives who investigated his case in attendance.  He remains unidentified and his case remains unsolved. At the very least his death led to the arrest of a syndicate of human traffickers, whose leader is now living in Nigeria.

Muti murders in Africa

The etymology of word muti originates from the Nguni languages’ umuthi, meaning ‘tree’, as African traditional medicine makes use of various natural products, many derived from trees and other plants. However mineral, zoological and even human body parts are harvested, especially if the muti is intended for evil purposes such as casting a spell, causing the death of another person or empowering a person with superhuman skills or strength.

A person may commission an inyanga (a traditional healer) to concoct a love potion to be administered to another party to fall in love with the one commissioning the potion – much like a Cupid’s arrow. 

It is also common practice to commission muti medicine, which may enrich or bestow special powers on the person in order to excel in business, politics, acquiring wealth, or to protect a warrior in war – as in the case of the Marikana miners – or even for murder. In its darkest form, human body parts are harvested while the victim is conscious, as was the case of Adam, and mixed with medicinal plants to concoct the muti. The muti is sometimes consumed, but is often made into a paste that is carried on the person or rubbed onto scarifications. 

Researcher S Fellows in his 2010-article Trafficking body parts in Mozambique and South Africa, a report for Human Rights League in Mozambique, found that one in five people in Mozambique and one in four people in South Africa believe that rituals and traditional medicines made with human body parts are more potent and effective than those effected with nonhuman objects.

Top image: Study for Autopsy at the Hôtel-Dieu by Henri Gervex (1876) (Public Domain)

Books: 

Ryan Blumenthal 2020. Autopsy: Life in the Trenches with a Forensic Pathologist in Africa, Jonathan Ball 

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