ABUJA - A viral news story about a Nigerian restaurant shut down after it was allegedly discovered selling human flesh may be a hoax. Reports emerged on Saturday that visitors to the hotel restaurant in Anambra, Nigeria, alerted police to rumors that the restaurant had been plating up human meat, according to BBC Swahili. When police raided the restaurant they discovered human heads that were still bleeding, according to reports. But it is not the first time the story has surfaced. In Feb. 2014, news outlets around the world reported on a strikingly similar case “Every time I went to the hotel I observed strange activities going on in the hotel,” one resident reportedly told the BBC. According to the story, a priest who ate at the restaurant was presented with a bill of 700 Naira, or around $4.40, which is a considerable amount of money with millions survive on less than a $1 a day. “The attendant noticed my reaction and told me it was the small piece of meat I had eaten that made the bill scale that high,” he told the BBC. He was shocked to learn the meat he was served was human flesh. The story appears to have originated in a Nigerian tabloid, Osun Defender, in Sept. 2013. The original article features the same quotes and similar details to those circulated in the most recent version. - Agencies
