HighlightTop StoryTrending Story

Declare national war on ritual killings, Reps tell

236

 

 

By Ajuma Edwina Ameh

 

 

Worried by the ritual killings that have assumed a national dimension, the House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to declare national emergency on the crime scourging the country.

 

The call came on the heels of incessant killings of innocent people particularly children and girls for ritual purposes in Nigeria with the latest being the murder of Sofiat Okeowo in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, a girlfriend of one of apprehended four teenage rituals.

 

Persecondnews recalls that four teenagers — Balogun Mustakeem, Majekodunmi Soliudeen, Abdulgafa Lukman, and Waris  Oladeinde — had on January 28, brutally murdered and beheaded Sofiat and roasted her head for money rituals.

 

18-year-old Soliudeen conspired with his friend, Mustakem, to lure Sofiat to their apartment in Oke Aregba area of Abeokuta, where she was slaughtered.

 

Upon interrogation at the State Police headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta,  Soliudeen claimed that he learnt the ritual practice on Facebook.

 

Read Also: Horrendous crime: 4 Secondary School students under 20 years, kill, dismember girlfriend, roast head for ritual in Ogun

 

According to the teenager, he typed “how to make money ritual” on Facebook and got the details, and the link instructed him to behead and burn a female skull in a local pot.

 

Alarmed by the ritual trend, the Minority Leader of the House, Mr Toby Okechukwu, moved the motion entitled “Need to Curb the Rising Trend of Ritual Killings in Nigeria” during Wednesday’s plenary at the lower chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.

 

 Okechukwu called the attention of the House to the recent incidents of ritual killing which, he said, have assumed an alarming rate.

 

He condemned the upsurge of reported ritual killings with increasing cases of abductions and missing persons in different parts of the country, adding that the culprits in most cases rape, maim, kill and obtain sensitive body parts of unsuspecting victims for rituals.

 

Okechukwu stressed the need to be mindful of the role of the Nigerian movie industry in moulding the behavioural patterns in the society, as well as the mandate of National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), and others.

 

In its resolution, the lawmakers called on the National Orientation Agency (NOA), as well as parents, heads of schools, religious leaders, and the media to undertake a campaign to change the negative narrative bedeviling the society.

 

Read Also: Four teenage ritualists, who beheaded a girl, sent to prison in Ogun

 

They also mandated the House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics, and Values to report back to the House within four weeks.

 

The House further urged the Police Inspector General to take urgent steps to increase surveillance and intelligence gathering with a view to apprehending and prosecuting the perpetrators of ritual killings.

 

Similarly, the House Committee on Police Affairs was mandated to report back to the lawmakers within four weeks.

 

Leave a comment

Related Articles

N1.3trn fraud: EFCC arrests, grills ex-Delta Gov. Okowa

A former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has been apprehended by the...

Breaking: Pres. Tinubu orders release of #EndBadGovernance underage protesters

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate release of all minors arrested...

Equatorial Guinea government official embroiled in sextape scandal

Mr. Baltasar Engonga, Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF)...

Just in: Seven new ministers take oaths of office

President Bola Tinubu has sworn in seven newly appointed ministers, directing them...

CAF ruling against Libya: Nigerian govt. promises to protect its citizens in Libya

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to...

Polaris Bank wins “Best Mobile App” award at Digital Jurist Awards 2024

For its commitment to digital innovation and excellence, Polaris Bank has again...

Updated: After six years of injustice, Nigeria’s ex-Chief Justice, Onnoghen, finally gets justice

The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on Monday, overturned the conviction of...

Flood sacks 4 Anambra council areas as Soludo activates 27 IDP camps

By Emmanuel Ndukuba, Awka Floods have devastated four local government areas in...

Just in: Appeal Court acquits ex-CJN, Onnoghen, orders FG to unfreeze his account

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Monday discharged and acquitted...

Four-month salary: NASU, SSANU secure irrevocable commitment from FG, suspend strike

After a six-day strike, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of non-teaching staff...

Three radio stations in Abia destroyed by mysterious fire

A mysterious fire has hit three radio stations in Abia in Abia...

Seven new ministers for inauguration on Monday, Nov. 4

President Bola Tinubu will preside over the oath-taking of seven new ministers...

Youth shot dead for playing football near VIP’s house

A 70-year-old man, Mr. Stephen Irobunda, has escaped a mob action in...

Renowned Nigerian filmmaker, director Dimeji Ajibola is dead

Dimeji Ajibola, the acclaimed Nigerian filmmaker behind the popular series Shanty Town,...

Just in: UK Conservative Party elects former Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch as new leader

Former British Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has emerged as the new leader...

Demolition of Abuja N200bln properties: Restrain Wike, Estate Developers Beg Pres. Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has been urged to intervene in the alleged demolition...

ECOWAS, Nigeria, Morocco, Mauritania Commit to $26bln African Atlantic Gas Pipeline Project

“The project, conceived in 2016 during King Mohammed VI of Morocco’s visit...

FirstBank’s retired CEO, Adeduntan, gets presidential commendation

Impressed with his exemplary career trajectory and transformative leadership, President Bola Tinubu...

#EndBadGovernance protests: AGF to Police: Transfer casefiles of 72 defendants to my office

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince...

NAGAFF Taps NPA MD, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, as Keynote Speaker for Silver Jubilee Anniversary

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has announced Dr....