By Afolabi Aribigbola

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One recurring ugly occurrence in Nigeria in recent times is the widespread incident of killing for rituals in the country. This distasteful, degrading, and embarrassing phenomenon has become a daily occurrence as if human lives do not matter again. The various parts of the country have witnessed decapitation of human parts for ritual purposes. Most of the times, lives of innocent and promising individuals are cut short as if human lives do not count again. This was why someone argued sometimes ago that Nigerians don’t value human life and that people that do not value life cannot enhance it but could decimate it as we are experiencing at the moment in the country.

This accounts for the spate of killings. Of course, people can easily exterminate other people’s lives because of the low value placed on it for material gains. Indeed, how can one explain or justify the killings going on in our society? Human lives have been reduced to that of animals that can be sacrificed to gods with impunity. The most annoying is that for ritual purpose. This has gained more momentum and escalating to a worrisome dimension in recent times. Beginning from the seven-year-old girl killed in Ado Ekiti, the woman that was beheaded in Oka to that of Timothy Adegoke in Ile Ife and the recent killing of a five-year-old student in Kano State.

The list is very long. Unfortunately, as this dastardly and heinous crime is taking place all over the country, the security agents seem to be helpless or incapable of arresting and prosecuting perpetrators of this evil against humanity. Majority of the culprits have not been apprehended and made to face the music as expected. Often, those arrested usually get away with it because of powers from above. No wonder, cases of killings in Nigeria no longer attract international attention. The death of hundred or more in Nigeria will not attract attention like when two people die in Europe and America and even in Asia. Things are that bad that killings of precious and promising people are carried out without sanction.  This is giving the country a bad image in the comity of nations.

A more fundamental issue of concern is how did Nigeria degenerate to this level? Statistics  indicate that there has been an increase in the number of missing persons in recent times.  Some were found, while others were not. There is a speculation that the majority of those who disappeared perpetually without a trace are often victims of ritual killings.  A school of thought suggested that a number of the ritual killers engage in the heinous venture to make ends meet. There is a serious or high level of poverty in the country.

Whether this position is correct or not requires more investigations as to why people engage in ritual killings. They contended that there is high level of unemployment. Others are of the opinion that peer influence and the need to live big are responsible for  ritual murders. In this case, people are recruited into the trade by their friends and acquittances. Some are forced to join the evil because the society permits it. However, whatever is the reason for indulging in taking other peoples’ lives, it is not just evil but highly unacceptable at a time when in other climes, efforts are being dissipated to improve and enhance human lives and living conditions. It is disheartening to point out that as developed societies invest in science and technology to keep abreast with a dynamic world, ours is still stuck in the odious belief that sacrificing human blood is the surest route to wealth, safety, and protection.

Many are concerned with mundane things that do not add value to humanity and are therefore comfortable to take others’ lives without restraint. Indeed, ritual killings are undertaken to obtain human body parts for rituals, potions, and charms. It has been pointed out that ritualists search for ‘human parts’ at the request of herbalists, who require these to make sacrifices or prepare various magical portions to give power and wealth to an individual. Some people engage in ritual killings to obtain charms that would make them invincible and protect them from business failure, illness, accidents, and spiritual attacks. All in an effort to get rich, protected and become influential in the society. Of course, whether they succeed or not in the evil and inhuman act is open to debate.

The consequences of the barbaric ritual murders are wide and far reaching. Besides, the fact that invaluable lives of people that can contribute to the development of the country are cut short, the indecent happenings portray Nigerians to the outside world as people that are still very backward in thinking and actions whose environment are not safe for decent and forward-looking people to reside. Thus, it has the potency to discourage visitors and investors from coming to the country. Perhaps, insecurity in the country has contributed to the flight of economic investments to neighbouring countries that are relatively safe.  Also, it has been creating fears in the mind of people as they are afraid to travel freely in the country.

The alarming scale of ritual murders must be stopped, otherwise upcoming generations will  imbibe it as a way of life and continue with the frightening denigrating business as a way of life. This will not be good for our society and therefore efforts must be made to address this hydra-headed evil act.

At the moment, and very worrisome is the reality that the entire society seems to be complacent with the barbaric business of ritual killings and therefore little is done to stem and completely put an end to it. This negative  narrative must change, while the various communities must rise to effect the desire change of the retrogressive tendency. The security agents should be empowered and motivated to their responsibilities.

The fact that some cases of ritual murders have to be taken over by the Inspector General of Police shows the weakness and level of compromise in Nigeria. I don’t know how many of such cases should be handled in Abuja instead of the police in the community where such crimes are carried out.

Policing in Nigeria should be localised, while upright people should be recruited to the security organisations. The laws forbidding take of other peoples live should be updated and made stringent. They should be faithfully enforced and implement, otherwise Nigeria will continue to witness the murder of her innocent citizens. We cannot continue to look the other way as evil men and women continue to destroy the future of the country through ritual killings and other heinous crimes. The time to act is now and we must act decisively.