Clifford Orji
Nigerian man accused of murder and cannibalism
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Clifford Nwa Orji (1965 or 1966 – August 17, 2012)[1] was a Nigerian man,[2] who was a cannibal. He was also indicted for serial killings, kidnappings, and the sale of human body parts.[3] Orji was arrested in 1999 and died in Nigeria's only super-maximum security prison, where he spent 13 years without trial.[1]
Biography
He was initially a razor-blade merchant but later proclaimed himself a shaman, a "native doctor Chinneyelu".[3] He lived under a highway bridge in Oshodi-Isolo, reportedly pretending to be mentally ill.[4][5][6]
Arrest and confession
Orji was arrested on February 3, 1999, after a missing woman was discovered near death at his home under the bridge. Fresh and cooked human body parts and human skulls were also discovered. He was arraigned at a Magistrate court in Ebute-Meta.[7] After his arrest, a thorough search of his hideout was made, which also revealed female underwear,[1][5] a cheque for ₦80,000, and a mobile phone, at a time when the G.S.M. had not been fully introduced to the Nigerian market, so only wealthy people had mobile phones.[7] A man accused of being his accomplice in trading human body parts was also arrested.[3]
At a news conference organized by the police, Orji confessed to kidnapping, murder and cannibalism, saying that he and his accomplice "[had] been eating human meat for the past seven years before coming to Lagos. It is our culture to eat human meat."[3] On December 7, 2000, he was remanded for murder in Kirikiri Prison, which is Nigeria's only supermax prison.[8]
Death
In April 2012, after approximately 12 years in prison without his case coming to trial, Orji sued the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Ade Ipaye, for unlawful imprisonment.[8] Prison authorities stated that they had been unable to have him treated for mental illness, which had progressed and he could not be tried when insane.[9][10] He died at the age of 46 on August 17, 2012.[1][10][11] An autopsy established that his death was from natural causes.[12]