A Nigerian man suspected in the murder of his brother told the police that his attack was actually aimed at a goat.
The man says the supposed goat, which he attacked with an ax, magically turned into his sibling's corpse, authorities said.
The man, who name has not been released, narrated the mysterious transformation to police after he was arrested for the previous day killing of his brother at Isseluku village in southern Nigeria.
"He said that the goats were on his farm and he tried to chase them away. When one wouldn't move, he attacked it with an ax. He said it then turned into his brother," Police Commissioner Udom Ekpoudom told the AP.
It is not for the first time that a murder suspect in Nigeria has claimed that evil spirits had tricked them into killing. In 2001, eight people were burned to death after one person in their group was accused of making a bystander's penis magically disappear.
Many people living in the rural Nigeria believe in evil spirits and black magic.
