Some Residents of Imo and Abia, including security experts, lawyers, and clergymen, have expressed serious worry over the pervasive cases of ritual killings in different parts of the country and advocate concerted action to end the unwholesome phenomenon.
The people spoke in a nationwide survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the causes and measures to deal with the cankerworm.
In Imo, some of the respondents blamed the act, which is now prevalent in different parts of the South-East region and the country at large, majorly on the prevailing economic hardship, among other factors.
They also attributed the vice to the lack of good education, widespread and high unemployment rate and societal influence among the youths.
Contributing, the Spokesman for the state Police Command, DSP Henry Okoye, said that many communities “worship” material wealth, which explains why youths have become desperate to acquire wealth at all cost.
According to Okoye, the alarming unemployment rate and economic hardship among the youths have left many searching for means of livelihood, including indulging in horrible crimes.
He wondered why people kill their fellow human beings for rituals just to become wealthy overnight.
“There is the need to invest in massive sensitisation and awareness creation to educate people that there is no profit of any sort in ritual killings.
“As a society, we must begin to re-examine our norms and values, we must re-examine what we cherish most in our societies and refrain from worshiping individuals whose sources of wealth remain mysterious and questionable.
“We should emphasise values, honesty and hard work, and cultivate the culture of honouring individuals who contribute positively to the development of society but are not wealthy,” he said.
He further advocated that it was high time society began to interrogate the sources of wealth of some people, partucularly those with no obvious means of income, saying that the measure would help to deter youths from engaging in unorthodox means of acquiring wealth, including ritual killings.
He said the command would continue to partner with other security agencies, civil society organisations as well as religious and traditional leaders in the fight against the menace.
Okoye said that the command had sustained its raid of criminal hideouts, where suspected cases of ritual killings and sales of human parts had been reported in the state.
“The commissioner of police has already set up stop-and-search points at different black spots, where cases have been reported, and we have been achieving significant breakthrough in the operation.
“Last month, operatives, in synergy with residents of Ogii Community in Okigwe Local Government Area, caught and detained three suspected ritualists.
“Upon searching the suspects, who were all below 30, a human skull was discovered in their possession apparently to be used for money ritual,” Okoye said.
He urged members of the public to always assist the police with useful information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of suspected ritualists.
Okoye, who also read the riot act to “notorious native doctors” in the state, said that the police would not hesitate to go after those who produce charms for criminals.
He said: “We are assuring residents that Imo will not be a safe haven for native doctors who invest in criminal elements.
“We are not saying that people have no freedom to practice traditional religion because, by the law of the land, traditional religion can be practiced.
“What the law does not permit is for people to take advantage of this means to perpetrate crime.
“We will not spare any native doctor that prepares charms for kidnappers, terrorists and armed robbers.
“It is even laughable because, in most cases, these charms don’t work.
“Our operatives neutralise high profile criminals with charms all over their body,” he said.
A motorist, Mr Chubuzor Nnadi, also blamed ritual killings on economic downturn and the desperation for wealth.
Nnadi said that while this may be a “dangerous sign for society,” the root causes, ranging from joblessness to poverty and the ostentatious lifestyles of the political class, should be addressed.
He called on governments at all levels to review their economic policies that had made life more difficult for the masses.
He said, “Survival is non-negotiable for man, hence the reason for all manner of measures, including ritual killings to survive.
A lawyer, Mrs Kindness Ugochukwu, described ritual killings for wealth as “man’s quest to overcome his travails through a return to the superstitious belief that human parts can enhance fortunes and provide spiritual protection.”
Ugochukwu called for the strengthening of the extanct laws to enhance the justice system and deter intending ritual killers.
A retired police officer, Mr Udoh Nsikak, said that inadequate law enforcement and rising vigilantism contribute to an environment, where such crimes thrived.
Nsikak called on security agencies to re-strategise based on the current tide and increase their surveillance, while perpetrators should be adequately prosecuted.
He further called for countrywide campaign for attitudinal change towards ritual killings.
A cleric, Mr Gideon Peters, warned young girls to desist from accepting money and other gifts from men, not known to them, saying that many had become victims of ritual killing as a result of their quest for “enjoyment“.
Peters also called on parents to always probe the sources of their children’s wealth rather than cover their atrocities under the guise of filial love.
A Senior Legal Officer for Spaces for Change, a civil society group, Mrs Chetachi Udeh, urged the police to ensure timely handling of reported cases of ritual killings by members of public.
Udeh said: “The way and manner the police handle some of these cases leave nothing to be desired.
“We have had instances where people raised alarm about what was happening in a particular locality but the police did not swing into action until the situation got worse.”
She called for more open communication and partnership between the police and citizens on how criminal cases are handled to ensure justice and logical conclusions.
Udeh, who said that Nigeria had sufficient criminal laws, also called for stiffer implementation of the provisions to permanently deal with ritual killings and the perpetrators.
Also in Abia, residents called for urgent and holistic social and political reforms to curb the menace of ritual killings in the country.
Respondents in Umuahia and Aba, the economic hub of the state, said that the menace could only be successfully combated with stricter law enforcement, moral reorientation, and public awareness campaigns.
They said that the “disturbing trend”, though not new, was fueled by desperation for quick wealth among the youths.
A retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Ken Osuagwu, said that the growing wave of ritual killings and criminal activities in Nigeria, particularly in the South-East, had become worrisome.
Osuagwu said that the deteriorating security situation had become a strange “normal” due to the culture of silence among the people and leadership failure over the years.
He commended the Anambra Government for taking decisive actions to fight the unfortunate trend, lamenting that “crime has become an everyday occurrence because people no longer condemn it”.
He blamed weak leadership for the development, pointing out that “when a fish rots from the head, it is difficult to keep it’s body free from rot”.
The former police chief also said that society had become more carefree about wealth from unclear sources, adding thay many people no longer interrogate the sources of sudden wealth.
He criticised the traditional institution for allegedly contributing to the social menace, saying that royal fathers were no longer circumspect about the background of people they conferred chieftaincy titles on.
“Only a few people today have the moral courage to question illicit wealth.
“I once heard of a mother, who rejected a car offered to her by ber teenage son, demanding to know its source, but in many other families, such acts were celebrated,” Osuagwu said.
He also condemned the activities of native doctors, who allegedly mislead the youths into believing that ritual killings lead to wealth.
He asked, “If killing people made one rich, why aren’t these native doctors billionaires themselves?”
The retired security chief further highlighted the challenges facing law enforcement agencies in combating ritual killings, pointing out that many police stations lacked the necessary resources to effectively fight crime.
He called on the South-East governors to adopt a holistic approach to address the issue, emphasising that equipping the police and rightly enforcing laws remained the key to ending the menace.
He lauded the Anambra
Government’s creation of a vigilance group but insisted that only government reforms and rebuilding institutional integrity would bring the needed solution.
“Africa is a place where bigger thieves are glorified while smaller thieves are vilified.
“The problem must be tackled from the top so that the right changes can trickle down,” he added.
He urged the government at all levels to step up efforts in restoring law and order, emphasising that only a leadership with moral authority and integrity can bring positive changes.
“After God, it is the government, with the right governance in place, these problems can be solved,” he said.
The Executive Director, Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development, Mr Nelson Nwafor, called for urgent government intervention through youth empowerment and enhanced security measures.
Nwafor described the recent arrest of suspected ritualists in Anambra by the governor as a welcome development which, he said, should be replicated in other states.
According to him poor moral values and unemployment had become a major driving force behind the increasing involvement of youths in ritual killings.
“This underscores the need for adequate youth empowerment, which is lacking across the South-East region.
“The region has a huge percentage of unemployment youths and I feel this has pushed many young people into ritual killings as a means of making wealth,” he said.
Nwafor said that without a holistic government approach to tackling unemployment and discouraging ill-gotten wealth, the menace would continue to rise, especially with the country’s struggling economy.
He also criticised security agencies for not doing enough to curb the trend.
Nwafor urged them to adopt enhanced intelligence gathering, increased surveillance, and community policing to detect and stop persons involved in such crimes.
“The government should engage citizens and relevant stakeholders in addressing the issue of ritual killings.
“In many cases, those arrested have made confessions that suggest some level of complicity by individuals in government.
“This makes the fight even more difficult,” Nwafor said.
He called for a review of the existing laws, particularly those on cultism and violent crimes, to include capital punishment for ritual killing.
“You can see that ritual killings have increased, people are killing their parents, girlfriends, and other family members.
“This evil continues because there are no strict consequences for offenders; there should be stiffer penalties,” he said.
He urged communities to work closely with security agencies in identifying and exposing criminals to ensure justice is served to deter others from engaging in such acts.
An official of the National Congress for All Abia Youths, Mr John Ukpo, said that the pressure on young people to acquire wealth, regardless of its source, had led to an increase in criminal activities, such as ritual killings.
Ukpo said that many families now measure success by financial status rather than character and hard work.
He said that religious institutions, which should promote moral values, have shifted focus towards wealth, glorifying individuals with questionable sources of income.
“We have lost our value system in the sense that we now respect money more than integrity.
“Even in religious settings, people have abandoned the worship of the real God and are now worshipping the god of money,” he said.
Ukpo further said that the increasing pressure on young people to amass wealth, regardless of the means, had become worrisome.
He said that parents often compare their children with their peers, who have made money through questionable means, thus encouraging the pursuit of ill-gotten wealth.
“In today’s society, we celebrate thieves. If you have money, people celebrate you, but if you don’t, you are treated as a nonentity,” he said.
He expressed concern over the vulnerability of young women, who often prioritise relationships with big spenders without questioning the source of their wealth.
He said that such preferences usually lead to tragic consequences, including ritual killings.
Ukpo called for a return to societal values, urging families, religious institutions, and the government to work together in restoring integrity.
He also called for harsher penalties for individuals involved in ritual killings, including death penalty for convicted perpetrators.
He lamented that the involvement of powerful individuals, who protect and sponsor such criminal activities, complicated the fight against the crimes.
“You will see an illiterate appointed into public office bragging because he is part of their killer squad.
“The people who should protect us are the same these criminals work for,” Ukpo said.
He urged the government to prioritise youth empowerment through skill acquisition and employment opportunities to reduce the attraction to illicit wealth.
Also, an Aba-based business, Mr John Onyeije, blamed parents and the way they bring up their children for the present day social ills in society.
According to him, when a child comes from a morally upright family, where the fear of God and authorities is thought, the child will likely live his whole life free from crime.
“Governments also have a role to play in stopping ritual killings and to do so officials of government “should be free from ritual acts.
“Our governments should also stop looting from the public purse but use public money to improve infrastructure, create jobs and encourage hard work among youths,” Onyeije said.
He charged churches to desist from the worship of money in all ramifications and teach upright living and good character to curb ritual killings.
He regretted that the failure of most churches to follow biblical principles had robbed the country of its moral values.
Onyeije said: “In those good old days in our communities, when a man or his family member commits a certain crime, the local community he belongs to punishes him with ostracism or other serious punishments.
“But that is no longer the situation because many fathers, many village heads and traditional rulers have compromised their moral standards, and so can neither bark nor bite and this is the reason we are in this mess today.”
Meanwhile, the Abia Police Command has said that it is collaborating with local vigilance groups, community heads and hunters toward curbing the menace of ritual killings in the state.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, said that the command had devised different means of dealing with persons engaged in such heinous crimes.
“We have been educating the people and telling them that if they noticed any unlawful gathering, they should inform us and we would investigate,” she said.
She said the police had launched an investigation into the alleged discovery of 30 bodies of persons suspected to be victims of ritual killings in Oriendu Community, Umuahia North Local Government of Abia.
She said that the outcome of the police investigation showed that nothing like that happened in that community, which shares a boundary with a community in Imo.
The Traditional Ruler of the community, HRH Eze Philip Ajomuiwe, had recently told newsmen that 30 bodies had been dumped into the river by suspected ritualists between 2024 and February 2025.
The PPRO, however, said that investigation had proven that most of such dastardly acts were committed by suspects from Imo.
She said the police had intensified routine visit to the place and other criminal hideouts in the state.
Chinaka expressed the commitment of the Commissioner of Police, CP Danladi Isa, to rid the state of violent crimes and criminality.
“When you notice something unusual in any part of the state, please do not hesitate to report to the police,” the PPRO urged residents.
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