The Nigeria Police Force has expressed deep concern over the increasing number of ritual killings in the country.
As the economic situation continues to worsen, more youths and adults are resorting to ritual killings as a misguided solution to their financial struggles.
On Thursday, Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi called on community leaders and traditional institutions to take decisive action against this disturbing trend.
In a statement on X.com, Adejobi highlighted the need for a collective effort to address the rising cases of ritualistic murders, which have caused immense suffering for many families across the country.
He pointed to the successful collaboration between the police and traditional institutions in combating the notorious Badoo rituals in Ikorodu, Lagos, as a model for tackling the issue nationwide.
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Adejobi emphasized that community leaders and traditional institutions must play a central role in the fight against ritual killings, as the issue has strong spiritual dimensions that require a comprehensive approach.
“I think our community leaders and traditional institutions should be involved and take a bold step to tackle the menace,” he wrote.
He stressed that without the active involvement of these leaders, efforts to curb ritual killings would be insufficient.
“We adopted a similar approach when we were to tackle Badoo rituals in Ikorodu, Lagos. We can’t apparently curb it if the traditional institution is not interested or involved. It’s more spiritual than legal or physical.”
Adejobi also advocated for a distinct legal framework to address ritual killings, separate from standard murder cases.
He argued that ritual killing is a crime that encompasses not only murder but also the desecration of corpses and ritualistic practices, and it should be met with its specific set of punishments.
He added, “There must be a described law for ritual killings, not just murder cases. Ritual killing is both murder and disrespect to corpses and ritualism, which should attract its punishment separately.”
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