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Lagos - A Nigerian man has been arrested for selling his wife to black magic practitioners who wanted to sacrifice a virgin, police said on Thursday.
The deal in the central Nigerian state of Plateau was cancelled at the last minute, however, when the ritualists realised she was married.
"The man lured his wife to a bush under the pretext of fetching firewood and sold her to two ritualists for about $5 000, Plateau state police spokesperson Abuh Emmanuel told AFP.
He said the man from Kwalla town lied to the ritualists that the woman was a virgin and had been given part of the money.
"When the ritualists discovered that the woman was the man's wife, they asked her to go because she could not be used for the sacrifice," he said.
Emmanuel said the man and his two accomplices were arrested after the woman reported the incident to the police.
"The suspects are in our custody and will be taken to court for criminal conspiracy and an attempted murder," he said.
Belief in black magic and witchcraft is common in Nigeria.
