The recent arrest in Otta, Ogun State, of five suspects with human heads and flesh (in pieces) is another haunting reminder that the horrendous, dastardly and inhuman activities of ritualists are far from abating. The arrest came in the wake of the discovery in Ibadan, Oyo State, of a kidnapper’s den and an underground dungeon, where human beings harvested for human organs trafficking were butchered, killed and buried. This follows countless reports of baby factories where new-born babies are sold to ritualists and childless couples. And just when you thought you had seen it all, Fr Okono Joseph of St Peter’s Parish, Owerri Catholic Diocese in Imo State, was arrested for buying and selling two boys (aged three and four years); for a profit of 46,000 naira. Nothing can be more illustrative of the moral decay into which Nigeria has sunk and the low value now place on life! This negation of all known principles of decency and sanctity of human life is totally unacceptable. It underscores the permanence of safety and situational awareness by the general public and is another wake-up call to law enforcement agencies on the need for vigilance and adequate policing.
A statement by the Ogun State Police command said the arrest followed a tip off which led a team of operatives to the Joju area where five suspects were arrested and exhibits recovered, including six guns and several cutlasses. The exhibits also included one complete human head and pieces of human flesh in a blood-stained container. In Ibadan, residents of the Soka neighborhood were rattled to discover, to their horror and bewilderment, the ritualist’s den littered with no fewer than 20 decomposing bodies, clothing of different ages of people, baby wears, school uniforms, foot wears, amongst others. Fortunately, 23 lucky kidnap victims, who were rescued from their highly traumatizing, and sub-human condition, among whom was a lady just delivered of a baby, are recuperating at the state hospital. Reports from Owerri said the Man of God admitted to selling children with his prices ranging from N450,000 to N750,000 depending on the sex of the child.
As available accounts reveal, a syndicate usually lures helpless pregnant teenagers eager to deliver their perhaps unwanted babies, under the pretext of helping them, only to sell the newborns to ritualists and childless couples. In this market, a child reportedly goes for between N350,000 and N500,000 depending on the sex. A male child attracts higher prices. Elsewhere, specifically in Abia State, the practice of auctioning babies by parents, on account of poverty or one form of deprivation or the other is now the norm. Ogun State is becoming a hotbed for ritualism. No fewer than eight ritualists have been arrested, including a woman who had often dressed in rags and pretended to be insane. She was caught with a human head.
These ugly developments show that there are no moral boundaries that cannot be violated, if any such boundaries still exist in the amoral enclave into which Nigeria has degenerated as a result of bad leadership and poor individual choices. Aside the motives for such barbaric and sinister acts, the revelations from the Ibadan dungeon provide an insight into an increasing criminal propensity for wealth, power and influence. It is a reflection of the deepening crisis and contradictions of the Nigerian state, especially given its grossly apparent declining capacity, if not total failure, to measure up to its responsibilities in all ramifications. When the level of state robbery by public officials and the absurdity of their extravagant life style vis-à-vis the squalor of the majority are considered, the desperation of those who traffic human organs or sell their children may not be justified, but that desperation advertises its depth and breadth as encompassing criminality and soullessness. This should tug at the heart-strings of members of the occupation brigade otherwise called leaders.
These despicable acts contravene all known international and national legal instruments of people and children’s rights to which Nigeria is a signatory. In circumstances such as this, it is imperative to ask: how could these murderous harvesting of human beings for human parts trafficking or any other reason be going on without the knowledge of security agencies? This raises questions about the precarious state of internal security evidenced by rampancy in wanton criminal activities, the seeming absence of fear of detection or arrest, and low level security enforcement. It is apparent that, like the Boko Haram insurgency, the security agencies have not only lost grip over the situation; there is also a gradual disregard for pro-active community policing as citizens no longer trust the police to protect them. The standing view is that security agents collude with the kidnappers and ritualists. Whether it is a case of under-policing or some form of official complicity, either way, as a result of insecurity, most streets in all major Nigerian metropolis now have local vigilantes manning them, and night life in most Nigerian cities is all but dead.
In the face of poverty, disenchantment, powerlessness, hopelessness, despondency and frustration, people are easily tempted to recourse to bewildering criminal activities, amongst which is ritual killing and questionable occultic practices. Irrespective of puerile arguments that the overwhelming superstitious beliefs pervading every facet of Nigeria’s socio-cultural cosmos encourage the ritualistic pursuit of money and power, these horrors, in a very profound sense, raise vital issues concerning the Nigerian’s sense of respect for the dignity of the human person. That human beings should be visited with such bestiality for any reason whatsoever is prima facie morally wrong. It is a reification of the human being and an utter disregard for his intrinsic worth as a person, who by law possesses an inviolable dignity, and by his religious inclination, created by God in His own image.
It is demeaning and scandalous that these monstrosities should be happening in Nigeria. Although Nollywood movies have often portrayed these bizarre events as typically Nigerian, it is grossly misleading and professionally errant to depict Nigeria in such light. It should, however, be clear to Nollywood that harvesting human organs for ritual has not been part of our culture. Irrespective of cultural beliefs and practices, there are laws of natural justice, to which other forms of positive laws take recourse. That a group of people, out of social myopia, engage in repugnant, inhuman practices does not obviate the course of justice.
It is obvious that in the countdown to the 2015 elections, the many shrines in Nigeria would become full scale business centers; as politicians surrender themselves to the bondage of buccaneers, who parade themselves as spiritual leaders and occult masters, promising power, wealth, fame and electoral success. The government must take urgent measures to stem the growing incidence of ritualism, human trafficking, and the menace of baby factories. To avoid any suspicion of complicity, perpetrators must be prosecuted and be made to face the full wrath of the law. This calls for a concerted effort to enlighten people on the dangers of spiritual expression and when they become injurious to society. Questionable shrines and occultic centers should be identified, closed and culprits brought to book.
