Uganda police find 24 human skulls at shrine

A Ugandan shrine owner is under investigation for human sacrifice after 24 skulls were discovered at the site on the outskirts of the capital, Kampala, police said Thursday.

The grisly find on Sunday comes only a month after 17 other skulls — including those of children — were unearthed in a separate case in the East African country.

“We recovered 24 human skulls in Nateete and investigations are going on to establish the source,” Kampala metropolitan deputy police spokesman Luke Oweyesigire told AFP.

Officers raided Godfrey Ddamulira’s shrine following a tip-off from neighbours and discovered the skulls on the floor of a building.

Ddamulira was detained on Monday, Oweyesigire said, and was helping with police investigations.

“Ddamulira claims he is a traditional healer but those claims are being investigated,” he said.

Ddamulira is being investigated under Uganda’s 2020 prevention and prohibition of human sacrifice law, which can result in a lengthy jail term or in some cases a death sentence.

“Preparations are being made to present the suspect before court,” Oweyesigire said.

Searches of the site were continuing, he said. No further details were available about the skulls discovered.

Last month, police recovered 17 human skulls from an underground chamber of a suspected shrine in the town of Mpigi, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Kampala.

The suspect in that case, who also faces a separate charge of murder, remains under investigation.