A mob in northern Nigeria has beaten to death a man who police say confessed to involvement in ritual murders

BBC News:

The incident came after three women were found murdered and mutilated in Bakori town in Katsina state.

Their body parts are thought to have been removed for use in rituals.

A police spokesman said that on Thursday, passers-by apprehended a man who appeared to be attacking another woman, who was screaming for help.

"They took him to the office of the traditional chief of the town where he confessed to taking part in the ritual murders of three women in the town in the last two weeks," police spokesman Salisu Sirajo told the AFP news agency.

"But when news of the arrest went round, a mob besieged the chief's office demanding for the man to be surrendered to them.

"The chief had no option but to oblige the mob, which burnt a part of his office. The man was killed on the spot," Mr Sirajo said.

While Islam is the dominant faith in northern Nigeria, some people also believe in traditional practices - for example that magic charms made from human body parts can bring success.

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