The deputy minority leader and member representing Awgu, Aninri and Oji-River federal constituency, Hon. Toby Okechukwu has called for the government, oraganizations and individuals to assist in stopping the rising trend of ritual killings in Nigeria.

The honorable made this known during a plenary in the House of representatives where he pointed out the fact that ritual killing is not a route to success, and that among the 200 people that are the richest in the world, ritualists and those who carry out of such tendencies are not among them.

Stating his case, Hon. Okechukwu said that “This is a matter of urgent public importance. The incidents of ritual killings have assumed an alarming  rate in Nigeria in recent times, and the upsurge of reported ritual killings, with increasingly cases of abductions and missing persons in different parts of the country, which in most cases the culprit also rapes, maim, kill and obtain sensitive parts of unsuspecting victims for rituals.

Making reference to 2017 when the red cross society reported that it received 10,480 reports of missing persons in Nigeria, he said “we are also aware that on January 22, 2022, 3 teenage suspects and a 20 year old reportedly killed one Safiat Kehinde and had her head cut and burnt in a local pot in Ogun state.

“We are also aware that Ogun state police command on February 7^th 2022 reported that one of the suspects confessed that he learnt the act of ritual killing from a video he watched on facebook. Merchants of such wicked acts often use the social media as a tool to advertise their evil behaviors.

Adding that nollywood movies also play a role in the rising trend, he said “Ritual killings have become a predominant thing in most movies which if not checked younger generations may begin to view it as an acceptable norm. We have several reports where law enforcement agents arrested and paraded suspects of ritual killings with gory pictures of human skulls and dismembered bodies.

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“I am concerned that although our communities are getting more religious with the rise of churches, the ugly trend of ritual killings is on the rise as the quest for wealth at all costs prevail in our society. I am worried that youths in other countries are embracing science and technology, while some of ours seem stuck in the believe that sacrificing human blood is the sure route to wealth, safety and protection.

“The house is convinced that such cruel and barbaric act should no longer be promoted in our society giving the demands of today’s world. The house is also alarmed at the moral decadence in our society, trends has promoted the get rich quick syndrome among our youths.

Calling on parents, law enforcement agencies and other responsible bodies to help in putting an end to this, he said “The house is cognizant that a lot needs to be done by the police and other law enforcement agencies to checkmate the ugly trend. We are also mindful of the role of media as a tool to change this wrong narrative among our youths.

“The house therefore resolves to declare a national emergency on ritual killings in Nigeria and call on National orientation agencies, parents, helps of schools, religious leaders and the media to undertake a campaign to change the narrative that is bedeviling our society.

“We call on the executive director, national film and video censors board to rise to the mandate of the agency as the clearing house for all movies produced in our country, and mandate the house committee on information, national orientation to report back to the house within faux.

“We also call on the inspector general of police to take urgent steps to increase surveillance and intelligence gathering with a view to apprehend and persecute all perpetrators of ritual killing in Nigeria”, he concluded.