Listing Oro Road, Ilorin among the dangerous spots known for ritualist kidnapping was rather uncalled for (‘Blood Money: Ritual Killers Spread Terror,’ TheNEWS, 7 April 2008 edition). I reside in that area and have never heard or seen anything to buttress what your magazine insinuated. The Stadium/Oro Road axis is reputed for being very safe, contrary to what your magazine reported.
Bodurin Silas Folorunsho,
Stadium Road, Ilorin
Ritual killings have been on the rise in tune with the get-rich-quick mentality that pervades our society. Nobody is interested in how people make their money. Once they spread it around to appease those who are in the position to question the ill-gotten wealth, the means of acquiring it is immaterial. It’s a mark of the degeneration of values in this generation.
Bosede Balogun,
Ilorin.
Your cover story on ritual killings leaves one in no doubt that many of the rich individuals in our society made their money through the shedding of blood.
Unfortunately, the clients who are the beneficiaries of these ritual killings, those who actually make use of the human parts, are usually not exposed. Most of the people who are caught with human parts were given contracts to source for the parts. Thus, it will remain a difficult task to put an end to the evil practice.
Idris Obans,
Okenne.
In a country where people are pushed to the wall just to make a decent living, with the majority just plodding on in frustration, such evil cannot be avoided. Some people have killed their conscience and can do anything for money. It is a sign of greed and callousness. Those found guilty should simply be sentenced to death as a deterrent.
Jide Ojo,
Lagos.
The incessant killing of innocent Nigerians for rituals is a great challenge for the Mike Okiro-led Nigeria Police Force. This is an acid test of the resolve of the law enforcement agencies to make the country a safe place to live. They should not relent in fighting this menace.
Justus Benjamin,
Port Harcourt.
If Kaduna State Police Command can deploy adequate facilities to check ritual killings with good results, other commands should take a cue from them to achieve similar results. Kudos to the Kaduna State government and Haz Iwendi, its police commissioner.
Adeloje Owameh,
Benin City.
I commend TheNEWS magazine for a research well conducted on the spate of ritual killings in the country. But I would like to add that some ritual killings in states like Edo, Adamawa and Taraba were missing out from the report. All the same, it was an interesting piece.
Funke Adejobi,
Yola.
It is high time the Federal Government and the courts recognised the existence of charms in Nigeria. To this end, certain provision should be made in our constitution to give credence to this. Charms is real, we should not lose sight of that.
Titilola Olupitan,
Lagos.
The terror of ritualists is as old as the Nigerian state. For too long, they have been on the rampage without let or hindrance. They live within and around us, yet we have failed individually and collectively to bring them to book.
Alfred Okoye,
Enugu.
Ritual killing is not only a crime against humanity, it is an offence against the creator and nature. But why kill for the love of naira and dollars? Only God is in a position to administer eternal punishment on all those involved.
Chima Ugoenyi,
Aba.
It is wicked, savage, barbaric and unspeakable to kill for the purpose of making a fortune. Why would one kill a fellow human being so that he may profit from it? May God forgive the killers.
Pastor Victor Odoka,
Asaba.
Ritual murder must not be allowed to thrive in this new millennium. It belongs to a shameful and ignominious past which must not be allowed to creep into the present or future. Enough is enough of the savages.
Ernest Muduagwu,
Owerri.
Thanks a lot for your interesting cover. There is no doubt that you have done a good job revealing the shenanigans of ritual killers. However, I think more light could be shed on the modus operandi and extent which these ritualists can go to make life unbearable for innocent Nigerians.
We are no longer safe in this country.
Femi Olurin,
Ilaro.
Aside armed robbers, we are now faced with the dangers posed by ritual killers to our lives. The fact that ritual killing is still prevalent in Nigeria is a sad commentary on the ignorance, superstition and poverty that characterise living in Nigeria. Your story is a clarion call to our leaders to stem the tide before we all fall victim to ritual killers.
Emeka Okafor,
Onitsha.
The truth is that ritual killers live in virtually every neighbourhood. We all know who they are. The reason they still persist in their notorious act is that they are operating in a corrupt society that encourages and condones them. It is time we started asking ourselves serious questions.
Sanni Umaru,
Kano.
Our leaders are to blame for the existence of ritual killers in our society. If we must put a stop to this ugly trend, we must first begin to question how our leaders and rich men got their wealth. The truth is that most of our leaders got their power and wealth through ritual killings.
Ameh Idoko,
Otukpo.
Even if the two motorcycle robbers displayed in your story on ‘Terror of Ritual Killers’ did not lose their heads to ritualists, the heads could not have been useful after they had been burnt by the mob. Who knows: how many souls the robbers had wasted in he course of their atrocitious activities.
Jude Oki,
Jos.
I am sure you guys are not expecting us to be sorry for the loss of the heads of the Okada robbers.
If ritualists were using the heads of people guilty of such dubious acts, not many people would blame them.
Biola Ipaye,
Akure.
That ritual killers are again on the prowl in Nigeria is simply a sign of the end time. May God deliver us as we go out innocently in search of our daily bread. People’s love for quick money is the main cause of the increase in ritual killings.
Chuka Obi,
Port Harcourt.
The encomiums showered on wealthy people irrespective of the source of their money is what is mainly driving people into unholy deeds to acquire money by all means. Nigerians should stop worshipping material things and the spate of ritual killings will die off gradually.
Meanwhile, we need to be more vigilant and sensitive as we go about our daily endeavours, and even in the area where we live.We should also be patriotic enough to alert the police and other law enforcement agencies of suspicious people in our environment.
Bamidele Ogala,
Ondo State.
When I read in your magazine that ritualists beheaded two robbers nabbed and lynched for stealing motorcycles in Akute, Ogun State, I couldn’t help wondering who the bigger thief is between the motorcycle thieves and the fellow who cut off their heads for money making rituals. Surely, acts like this one put us to shame as a people.
Ifeanyi Emeka,
Mbaise.
Thanks for the story on ritual killers, especially for listing areas to avoid across the nation. You have, by so doing, lived up, once again to your reputation of staying on the side of the people. Let us join hands to put an end to the spectre of ritual killing in our land.
Emmanuel Ibeabuchi,
Awka.
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