Nigerians, stop these ritual killings - Abiodun Kuforiji Nkwocha

First of all congratulations Dear Nigerian Readers on the re-resumption of our president.

CNN, Fayose and ‘aters’ (that is how Bobrisky says haters) ntoor… Bubu is back.

Do you remember when there was a rumour that he had been poisoned? The conspiracy theories were spun tighter than bandages on a mummy.

I am sure there are people that believe that it was Aso Rock ‘Juju’ that attempted to take him out. You remember what Rueben Abati said about the spirits in Aso Rock? Apparently the mildest thing they do is wilt erections. They can also cause long term ailments.

The things that we believe in this country are half of our problems. I am a Christian. I believe there are forces of good and evil on this planet. Most Nigerians believe the same thing. I do not begrudge people their right to believe what they choose to believe but I am very concerned about something that has been happening and which, if you ask me , is out of control.

Ritual killings.

Let me attempt to cull some of the things that have happened in recent times. Please note that the dates quoted are not the actually dates the acts took place. They are the dates they were reported.

Seen today, a 200 level student of University of Portharcourt , Ifeanyi Dike was arrested for killing a 7 year old girl, Victory Chikamso. He was pictured with the naked body of the girl. The report says some vital organ was missing in her body.
2 days ago, the body of a middle aged man was found without a head along Ahuoda road, Elele, Rivers state.
2 days ago, the news broke out of a 4 year old girl killed. Her blood was sprinkled on the Ogun Shrine near their house. Her name was Faridat Sulaimon.
3 days ago, it was in the news that Ogun State police discovered buried human parts in Church. 3 persons were arrested. One of the suspects confessed to have sold 2 children for ritual purposes to the pastor at 50,000 naira each.
On the 14^th of August, I saw another news. Nasiru and Idayat Adeyemo (a couple) chopped of the finger of their daughter Abibat. They dumped her in a sack and threw in the bush off Papalanto/Sagamu road. Luckily, she survived this.
11^th of August, I stumbled on the news that a girl Olayinka Adebayo (16years old) was killed for ritual purposes by a four man syndicate. A 35 year old man and a part of that syndicate, Bakare Olalekan has been arrested. In his confession, he said that he bought 3 human hearts at 10,000 naira each for the purpose of a particular ritual.
10^th of August, the report came that a man Musiliu Jibril was arrested in Ogun State for the killing of a 13year old girl, Anuoluwapo Ajisafe for rituals. This ritual needed a virgin so he lured this girl to church and killed her. He did this for some ‘yahoo’ boys for the sum of N20,000.
10^th of August, a den used for rituals was discovered at Ile Zik bus stop around Ikeja Along. The suspect was rescued from jungle justice. Apparently, packaging was seen for human body parts.
8^th of August, an underground den for rituals was discovered under Lagos/Abeokuta expressway. One of the suspects could not escape jungle justice.
3^rd of August, a cleric was forced to exhume the corpse of his childhood friend that he apparently killed for ritual purposes in Kwara State.

The above is just from stories that made the news in the last 20days. I did not include the Badoo killings in Ikorodu known to be tied to YAHOO plus… i.e the yahoo boys need charms to hypnotise victims and apparently this requires the blood of people killed in a certain way.

We also hear rumours that politicians sometimes need to sacrifice human beings so that they can be re-elected or protected. A popular rumour says that pounding babies in mortars with pestles is involved.

I also did not include kidnappings. Many of the stories I saw within the 20 day period I wrote about involved children that had not yet been traced. The children could have been sold for child slavery or ritual purposes.

This is horrifying.

First of all, if you have the propensity to believe that a human part or blood from someone killed can make you rich then you obviously believe that there is more to this life than what we see. If you believe in the devil then you must also believe in God. What I find puzzling is that these people would rather court evil for financial gain that to go to God.

Some of the ritualists claim that they have pastors and imams as clients. ‘Servants of God’ believe overwhelmingly in the strength of charms. It is so ironic and it should be funny but it is not.

I can only marvel at what people believe in. I don’t know how to change what people believe.

But I would like to appeal to the authorities and communities. These people live amongst us. They need to be exposed, arrested and prosecuted. Ogun State seems to be the centre of this evil. Almost every week, a story or two comes out of this state. Some sort of emergency has to be declared and I am not raising a false alarm. I have been following these stories.

Above all, Nigeria needs to be steered better. People dally on the fringes of survival. How else do you explain selling human hearts at 10,000 naira a piece? Selling a child at 20,000naira. In fact I saw a story early this year of a woman whose head was sold for N3,000 in Badagry. A generation of young men that thirst for a way up but can see no way except through internet fraud is what happens in a country that is bereft of opportunities.

Back to our beliefs.

How do you place your well-being and your ambition and thirst for money or even just survival over that of a person that has done nothing to you? Do these things even truly work? All the pictures of the suspects I saw looked particularly poor and miserable. They say when a lion kills a man, he discovers that men are very easy to kill. The lion becomes a man eating lion. Same with human beings I guess. Easy to catch and kill.

This is so depressing. Let me stop here.