Of course, the following article could just report on an ‘ordinary’ murder case, not a ritualistic killing, as is feared. But with so many ritualistic murders being committed in Zimbabwe as has been reported – see my January 28 posting – it is easy to jump to conclusions or suspicions and think of ‘another ritual murder case’.
Hence it is imperative ‘to stay cool’ and remain objective and calm – but vigilant. (webmaster FVDK).
Ritual Murder Suspected In ECD Teacher’s Death
Magdalene Mandiveyi and her three month old baby
Published: January 30, 2023 By: Pindula, Zimbabwe
The husband of Budiriro 4 Primary School ECD teacher, Magdalene Mandiveyi, who was found dead on Friday after she had been reported missing, said his life will never be the same again following her mysterious death.
Mandiveyi (38) was found dead in a maize field in Aspindale on Friday.
Her husband, David Mupanganyemba (45), told H-Metro that on the day Magdalene went missing, she left home early for work while he and their three-month-old baby were still asleep. Said Mupanganyemba:
She left home on Monday for work and left me asleep since I was off duty.
Handitombozivi kuti musi wacho akabuda mumba akapfeka zvakaitasei. I expected her during lunchtime to breastfeed the baby, but she never came. I called her cellphone number, but it was unreachable.
I sent someone to look for her at the school and that is when we learned that she had not reported for duty and began to wonder what had happened to her.
One of the senior teachers told us that Magdalene had phoned earlier in the morning saying she would report late for work.
She told the senior teacher that she wanted to nurse the baby since our maid had not returned from her off.
After informing my in-laws about this, we joined the search party, only to be called to Marimba Police Station on Friday to identify a body they had found.
I went and identified the body as my wife. My life will never be the same without her.
Mupanganyemba, who described his wife as “a very quiet and supportive woman”, said she had not complained about anything nor showed any signs of distress in the days leading up to her disappearance and subsequent death.
A Budiriro 4 Primary student who boarded the same kombi with Magdalene in the morning she disappeared allegedly told a senior teacher at the school that the driver ignored their calls to be dropped off at their usual point.
The girl said the driver of the kombi later stopped and allowed her to alight while Magdalene remained seated.
Some mourners, including teachers from Budiriro 4 Primary, said they suspected Magdalene could have been killed for ritual purposes. Said a mourner:
It was raining the whole week, but her body had no mud whatsoever. She could have been killed elsewhere and dumped in the field.
Magdalene completed her teaching studies at Nyadire Teachers’ College in 2015 and joined the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education the following year.
She first taught at Stratford Primary School in Banket before moving to Royden Primary School near Whitehouse along the Harare-Bulawayo Road.
Magdalene then taught at David Livingstone Primary School before being transferred to Budiriro 4 Primary.
She is survived by her husband David and four children.
Mourners at Magdalene’s home – at 13124 Budiriro 5B.
The following article was chosen because of what can be read between the lines. The author of the article dwells on the pros and cons of social media warning for the dangers which especially threaten children. Towards the end of the article we read a shocking acknowledgement:
Of course, such a statement is in legal terms no proof of a crime, but the well-informed reader and many Zimbabweans will know the truth behind these lines.
For this reason I have decided to share the article with you. After all, the newspaper publishing the article is well-known and respected, one of Zimbabwe’s leading newspapers, and the author, Elliott Ziwira a senior journalist. (webmaster FVDK)
Social media parenting leaves children exposed
Published: January 28, 2023 By: Elliott Ziwira, Senior writer – The Herald, Zimbabwe
The reader is invited to click the link below (‘Source’) to read the whole article.
In Nigeria a public discussion has started on banning a song allegedly inciting young people to commit ritual murders. If ever existed a reason to demonstrate the widespread occurrence of ritualistic murders in Africa’s most populated country then it’s no longer the case with the nation-wide debate on Yahoo Yahoo and ritual killings, locally called ‘money rituals’ – get-rich-quick’.
The despised song and related rage over the alleged incitement to commit murder once more demonstrates that the type of ritual murders which are being committed in Nigeria, presumably all over the country, is different form the ‘traditional’, may I call it the ‘classical’ human sacrifice which once was part of African culture, as it also was in Latin America (Incas, Mayas) and Asia (nowadays India, China) and Europe. Unfortunately, speaking of these ritualistic acts in the past tense is not correct as up till the present day ritual murders or Satanic murders are being reported from the regions mentioned including North America.
In ancient times human sacrifices were performed in various forms and for various reasons varying from sacrificing a member of one’s tribe for the benefit of the whole community, or for purposes of accompanying the soul of a departed chief or loved one to the ancestors (‘The Great Beyond’). The victim of the sacred ceremony was chosen by the priests or elders of the community and sometimes the parents of the victim would consider it a source of pride to contribute to the welfare of the community or the eternal rest of a chief by ‘sacrificing’ their son or daughter.
Nowadays, however, ritual murders are being committed for the well-being of an individual who desires to increase his wealth, power or reputation, and who believes in the supernatural power of specific body parts of the victim, whereas the victims are increasingly picked at random. This ‘criminalization’ of a hitherto cultural phenomenon is the main characteristic of most ritual murders being committed nowadays in African countries. What makes it sometimes even worse is that the perpetrators are protected by powerful people who at times are themselves involved in these barbaric acts. Th fact that in several countries ritual murders are on the increase during elections campaigns is a bitter illustration of this reality. (Webmaster FVDK).
It’ll encourage ritual killing – MURIC begs NBC, others to ban Portable’s new album
Popular pop singer, Habeeb Okikiola aka Portable has released a new album under the title ‘Kuku Do Ritual’ in which part of the lyrics say, ‘Kuku do ritual. If you do ritual you go die. If you no do ritual you go die. Kuku do ritual’.
Published: January 24, 2023 By: John Ogunsemore – The Herald, Nigeria
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned sensational musician, Portable’s new album titled, ‘Kuku Do Ritual’, urging authorities to ban it.
According to the Islamic human rights organisation, the album is a brazen assault on Nigerian and African values and has the potential to encourage ritual killing and mislead Nigerian youth.
MURIC made this known in a Monday statement signed by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The organisation called on the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the Performing Musicians’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) to take necessary action with military dispatch to stop the circulation of the album.
The statement reads, “Popular pop singer, Habeeb Okikiola (Portable) has released a new album under the title ‘Kuku Do Ritual’ in which part of the lyrics say, ‘Kuku do ritual. If you do ritual you go die. If you no do ritual you go die. Kuku do ritual’.
“We find this song disgusting, detestable and egregious. It is a brazen assault on Nigerian and African values. Portable’s latest song has reduced human life to the level of ordinary ants that can be stamped out under human feet without qualms and without consequences. It is an open invitation to criminality. It makes mockery of law and order. It is an open disrespect for human life.
“This song has the capacity to influence our young ones in a negative manner. It is also capable of destroying the future of the youth. Something must be done urgently. Already, there are several reports of young ones engaging in the shameful act for the purpose of getting rich in their tender ages.
“Three teenagers were caughtattempting to kill a 13-year-old girl for money ritual in Bayelsa State in January 2022.
“Four teenagers living in Abeokuta, Ogun State, killed the girlfriend of one of them for money ritual. In fact, there is a plethora of ritual killings among young Yahoo practitioners in the country.
“MURIC calls on all men of goodwill, all mothers in Nigeria, Muslim and Christian leaders to rise against the madness called Yahoo Yahoo and ritual killings among young ones whose ambassador has just released this horrendous song in their praise. ‘Kuku Do Ritual’ is nothing but a eulogy to glorify and elevate the names of ritual killers to high heaven.
“This album calls for immediate action from Nigeria’s traditional rulers. They are the custodians of our tradition. We therefore take our cry for help to these royal fathers to speak up on this sacrilegious song released by ‘Portable’. They must put pressure on the authorities to stop the circulation and broadcast of this album on any radio or television station and through any medium whatsoever.
“We invite the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the Performing Musicians’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) to take necessary action with military dispatch.
“We see no reason why the security agencies should not investigate the author of this most embarrassing and irrational song to explain the number of rituals in which he has indulged. A scape goat must be made of this album and its artist before the trend escalates.
“Nobody should hide behind artistic priviledge, poetic licence or freedom of expression to launch such barbaric offensive on our culture, our norms and our values. This is beyond free speech. It is criminal speech. It is incitement to commit murder. It is instigation to criminality. It is a bestial invasion on decency and good manners. It is Bohemian.”
“This song has the capacity to influence our young ones in a negative manner. It is also capable of destroying the future of the youth. Something must be done urgently. Already, there are several reports of young ones engaging in the shameful act for the purpose of getting rich in their tender ages.
On Wednesday, January 11, the people of Arondizuogu in Imo State, In Nigeria’s delta region, took to the streets to protest over a number of unexplained killings in their communities. The killings were described as ‘strange happenings’ and linked to politics. One does not need much imagination to associate these killings with ritualistic murders.
Imo State is located in the country’s south-east, is the third smallest in area of Nigeria’s 36 states and has a population of about 6 – 7 million people. It is not the first time the people in Imo State are confronted with deadly ritualistic activities in their communities. In 2009, a large group of women from Ndiakunwata and Arondizuogu, Ideato North, a Local Government Area of Imo State, stormed the state capital Owerri to stage a peaceful protest over a wave of ritual killings in their area. See the second article presented below for more details.
The third article below describes another horrible ritual murder which occurred in 2009. The mentioning of Otokoto in the 2009 article refers to the 1996 Otokoto riots which happened in the aftermath of another ritual murder in Imo State in that year (of an 11-year-old schoolboy boy, Anthony Ikechukwu Okoronkwo, though the uprising was also caused by the rampant corruption in the state). Readers are warned that the described murder cases contain graphic details.
Finally, for shortness sake I refer to my previous postings for more ritual murder cases in Imo State. To access these postings, click on ‘African countries’ in the dropdown menu and select: Nigeria (webmaster FVDK).
Villagers protest ritual killings, burning of vehicles in Imo State
Published: January 11, 2023 By: Chinonso Alozie – Vanguard, Nigeria
Elderly men, women and Youths of Arondizugo, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo state, on Wednesday continued to protest over the alleged killings and burning of vehicles by suspected hoodlums in their communities.
The youths were seen on a video that went viral on social media, they marched around the Ideato North communities demanding no further delay for government to intervene in their situation.
At the time of filing this report, some of the villagers who could not give reasons for the attacks described some of the killings as “strange happenings” and linked to politics.
The latest was the alleged killing of a young man and a tricycle rider whose names were withheld. It happened Tuesday night at Ndiejezie Izuogu in Ideato’s local government area of Imo State.
They lamented the burning of about three vehicles one of the vehicle’s plate numbers was given as a YAB-225DY Range rover vehicle.
One of the villagers who preferred not to mention his name said: “My brother these killings have been happening for some time. We have cried for help nothing is happening. Even sometime last year, our royal fathers from Arondizugo came out and protested. I saw you were among the journalists that they addressed and pleaded for government intervention because this is too much.
“We want the government to come and save us. We don’t need much delay again. We are in pain now. We want an end to these killings and burning of vehicles.
“Many of roads are not safe now. this is bad we want help. let us end this killings. We are tired. Why the killings? why these troubles. We want government to end it.”
However, at the time of filing this report, the elders in the various villages were still having strategic meetings to see how to end the reported killings and burning of vehicles.
When the Imo state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Micheal Abattam, was contacted he was yet to respond.
Published: November 12, 2009 By: Chidi Nkwopara – Vanguard, Nigeria
OWERRI – Scores of women from Ndiakunwata, Arondizuogu, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, stormed Owerri to stage a peaceful protest over recent ritual killings in their area.
Vanguard gathered that unidentified ritualists killed an octogenarian, Mrs. Beatrice Asoanya, and her granddaughter, Miss Chinaza Okereke, while they were sleeping in their home.
The women displayed placards with varying inscriptions, which included “Our lives are in serious danger”, “We are no longer safe in our community”, “We need government’s intervention” and “Ohakim save us”.
Speaking to newsmen amidst sobs, Lady Patricia Okereke, the mother of the slain Chinaza, said the suspected ritualists cut off the breast of her mother, Mrs. Asoanya, and drained her blood.
Lady Okereke said the women were angered that the suspected killer of the two citizens have been released, adding that the released suspects had since been moved to Abuja by his masters.
Okereke wondered why her daughter and mother would be murdered in such a gruesome manner, while the alleged culprits were left off the hook because of alleged influence of those backing him.
I demand that the perpetrators be brought to face the full weight of the law with a view to serving as a deterrence to others, she pleaded.
Otokoto again in Imo! Girl, 18, beheaded for rituals
Published: November 5, 2009 (headlines: August 19, 2009) By: Chidi Nkwopara – Nairaland, Nigeria
Residents of Owerri were Wednesday morning treated to a morbid spectacle as the police command paraded four suspects and the decomposing head of an 18-year old Chinwe Doris Perpetua Obieri, who was murdered for ritual purposes.
The bizarre scene, which was a replica of the infamous Otokoto saga of September 1996, had the prime suspect, 24-year old Emeka Uwakwe, from Ndiakunwata, Arondizuogu, Ideato North local government area of the state, clutching the decapitated head of his girl friend, Chinwe.
Speaking to newsmen, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Aloy Okorie, gave the names of the other suspects as Chigamezu Anyaoha from Orodo, Mbaitoli local council area, Anthony Obioha from Lude, Ahiazu Mbaise local government area, and the medicine man, Damian Joseph from Obot Akara, Akwa Ibom State.
Mr. Okorie gave a graphic account of how the sordid crime was committed and the efforts made by the state police command to apprehend the suspects in far away Lagos State.
“You can see we have a case of murder for ritual murder. What happened was that on Sunday, July 26, 2009, the young lady whose head you are seeing (pointing at the decapitated head of Chinwe) left her Akokwa home, Ideato North local government area of Imo State. You can see the head without the body.
Late Chinwe before her death “The young man, Emeka Uwakwe, is the boy friend of this girl and he came all the way from Lagos and lured her to his house in the village. He murdered the girl, cut off her head for ritual purpose and dumped the headless body in a bush. Apparently, the girl had told her parents that she was going to visit her maternal uncle in another village.
“As at 7.04pm on that same Sunday, she called her parents and informed them she was already in her maternal uncle’s compound and they believed her. Later, her parents made a call to her and the call was not pulling through up till the next morning and by Monday when it was obvious that she was not coming back, they made a report to the police that their daughter was missing.
“The names of the parents are Mr. Nicholas and Mrs. Theresa Obieri from Umuezeala, Umueziama Kindred in Akokwa. It was after they made the report to the police that some vigilante people on the same date, came around and said they saw a headless body in the bush. The police invited the girl’s parents and they identified the headless body to be that of their daughter.
“It was at that point that the police swung into action and started making investigations. From information, we got to know that she had a boy friend who is resident in Lagos and who was seen around home within that period. So, we went to Lagos and we were able to arrest Emeka Uwakwe. You can see him now with the head of the slain girl (pointing at Emeka).
“When we now got him, he made a confession that Mr. Damian Joseph of Obot Akara in Akwa Ibom State, though he is based in Lagos also, was the one who made the charm with which, if he got the head of this girl, mix it with the charm and bury it, money will start flowing, he will start plucking money as if he was plucking fruits from the tree. That was exactly what the man did. He (Emeka) got the concoction, mixed it with the head and buried it in his room.
“We also went for the Native Doctor and got him. Meanwhile, Emeka made a confession too that it was his friends, Chigaemezu Anyaoha and Anthony Obioha, that introduced him to the Native Doctor and that he was capable of making medicine for money. They also confirmed that they had done such a medicine before with human scrotum. We do not know whether it their own scrotum or other people’s scrotum. We will surely find out in due.
“You can see the pretty 18-year old girl (displaying her photograph). I am sure if you had seen this girl when she was alive, you will weep. You will certainly weep because I have never seen a thing like that in my life. I just imagine my own daughter of that age being slaughtered for ritual purposes.
“Well, in an era where we talking about people going to live in the moon, that is the age we are in, 21st century, and people are still being fooled that they can use human head to make money. It is very unfortunate.
“Emeka Uwakwe was arrested on Wednesday last week (August 12, 2009) and when he gave us the information on how he got about the whole show, our men left for Lagos on Sunday and we were able to arrest both the Native Doctor and the other two boys. The next line of action is that they will pay the price prescribed by the laws of the land. We all know the price for somebody who has committed murder. He will pay with his own life. There is no duplicate for life. If he had the courage to kill somebody, he should also be prepared to face the consequence. He should be in a position to say if he killed her with a knife or first strangulated her before he cut off the neck.
“It is very clear that the girl deceived her parents. My advice is simple. I have a daughter of that age. I know how we monitor her. Most times, especially in this era, if she has to go out, we must let go with somebody because you never can tell. That age is a critical period in the training of children. Parents should monitor their daughters closely. It is easy to make contacts in this GSM era. I am sure that if the parents had raised alarm that very night they did not see her, may be things would have come out differently.
I’ve repeatedly drawn attention to the many ritual murders, or killings for ritual purposes, in Nigeria, Africa’s most populated country with a population exceeding 200 million souls. These ritualistic crimes are locally known as ‘money rituals‘. (Warning: the preceding link leads to a video with graphic details of ritual killings).
The following post is about the published worries of an individual, Safiyanu Ladan. He was so emotional about the spate of ritual murders in his country that when the new year 2023 was approaching he decided to write an open article which was first published by a leading Nigerian newspaper, the Daily Trust.
Safiyanu Ladan writes from Zaria, Kaduna State, and openly associates ritualistic murders to prominent businessmen and politicians. In the article he dwells on a ritual murder committed by a prominent businessman in Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State, in the north of the country.
It’s a well-known fact that in Nigeria and other countries ritual murders and elections are linked, with the number of alleged and confirmed cases of ritual murder increasing during election campaigns. Nigeria faces national elections in February this year (next month) when the people of Nigeria go to the polls to elect a new president and National Assembly. (webmaster FVDK).
I feel compelled to register my concern on the rising spate of killings across the country supposedly by ritualists as the 2023 elections draw closer. Some politicians who are desperate to win the election have always resorted to these uncanny acts in a bid to attain power at all costs. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of these […]
The post On the rising incidents of ritual killings appeared first on Daily Trust
I feel compelled to register my concern on the rising spate of killings across the country supposedly by ritualists as the 2023 elections draw closer. Some politicians who are desperate to win the election have always resorted to these uncanny acts in a bid to attain power at all costs.
Unfortunately, the perpetrators of these devilish acts have always gone free. It’s only on rare occasions that some arrests are made and after the suspects are ceremoniously paraded by the police one will never hear about the case again.
In January last year, Aminu Baba, a prominent businessman selling vehicles at Aminchi Motors, Gusau Zamfara State, after his arrest by the police, confessed to have eaten and sold human parts to some unknown persons.
In a video footage, the visibly unapologetic Aminu’s accomplice who was arrested alongside him had admitted the gruesome killing of a 9-year-old boy whose body parts were removed and sold to Aminu for N500,000.
It has been one year since such an unfortunate incident occurred, and the suspects and the police have promised to take them to court at the end of their investigation. The outcome of the court’s judgment on this heinous act is not yet available in the public domain.
Incidents such as this are being reported by the media and after initial reactions, the matter will just die off.
The unrelenting act of ritualists inflicting harm on unsuspecting members of society is of great concern, hence the need for security agencies to double their efforts in order to restore people’s confidence.
It is pertinent to note that the life of a human being is sacred, and as such, nobody should feel threatened that their life might be taken away in whatever form except according to laid down processes.
Safiyanu Ladan wrote from Zaria via uncledoctor24@gmail.com
The post On the rising incidents of ritual killings appeared first on Daily Trust
In Ghana, on average at least 16 ritual murders occur each year. Every fortnight, a family mourns the death of a loved one who lost his or her life because of the wickedness, unscrupulousness and the belief in witchcraft of the perpetrator(s) who search power, prestige, wealth or good health by committing a ritual murder.
The National Head Pastor of the 7th Day Pentecostal Church, Elder Enoch Ofori Jr., addressed a large crowd at the end of December (2022), condemning ritualistic practices and calling on the government to apply the rule of law. The meeting was organized by the 7th Day Pentecostal Assemblies and was held in the Ashanti Region (Central Region). In particular, the reverend minister cited the notorious Mankessim ritual murder case which occurred in the Central Region last year. I’ve reported on this ritual murder case on various occasions (see my postings dated September 27, September 30, and October 1, October 2 and October 3).
Elder Enoch Oforu is to be commended for raising his voice against the ugly practice of ritualistic killings in the country. His condemnation is even more important as he spoke at a meeting which was attended by the entire 25 branch churches across the country. (webmaster FVDK).
Rev Minister calls for effective enforcement of laws on ritual murders
Published: January 3, 2023 By: King Amoah – Modern Ghana
The new year couldn’t start worse. Another suspected ritual murder in Uganda. This time the victim is an 8-year old boy who was kidnapped from his family’s courtyard – in Luweero District – on Saturday, January 7. The reader is reminded that in August 2022, the body of a 3-year old child was discovered in the same region, hanging in a banana plantation, murdered. Also in the latter case, the circumstances warrant the suspicion of a ritual sacrifice. (webmaster FVDK).
Body of boy found without head, toes
Police and residents near the scene where the deceased’s was discovered in Butanza Village, Luweero District, yesterday. PHOTO/ DAN WANDERA
Published: January 9, 2023 By: Dan Wandera – Daily Monitor, Uganda
What you need to know:
Residents say the incident has reawakened fears of kidnappers involved in ritual sacrifice.
Residents of Butanza-Kisule Village in Katikamu Sub-county, Luweero District, yesterday woke up to shocking news after they discovered the body of an eight-year-old boy, earlier reported missing in a garden.
The body did not have a head, fingers and toes.
While the residents associate the gruesome murder to child sacrifice, the police said they await the postmortem report to guide the investigations as they hunt for those who committed the crime.
“We have taken the body for postmortem but we call upon anybody with information that can guide the investigation to pass it to the police. Avoid rumours and unfounded talks but cooperate with the police,” Ms Sarah Kataike, the district criminal investigations officer, told the residents gathered near the home where the child went missing from the parents.
Ms Prossy Nabatanzi, the mother of the deceased, revealed that her son, Yasin Sseruga, was last seen on Saturday at around 3pm as he played with her younger sister in the family compound.
“As they played, somebody approached them and convinced the girl to go and get something from the house. When she returned, her brother and the unidentified man had disappeared from the compound,” she revealed.
“We reported the case to our village chairperson and we were also advised to go to Wobulenzi Police Station to report the case of the missing boy. The village mounted a search in the nearby areas but we did not get the missing boy,” she added.
Mr Godfrey Kafeero, the village chairperson, revealed that when the village tried to search the surrounding areas, they got stuck because there was no clue about the direction that the suspected kidnappers could have taken.
“They took advantage of the young girl and sister of the kidnapped boy who could not give any details. The young girl could not even describe the person who convinced her to go into the house,” he said.
Mr Kafeero explained that one of the residents only identified as Med discovered the lifeless body of a child tied between two tree trunks with a missing head as he approached his garden about 500 meters from the home where the child had been reported missing. “He quickly raised an alarm, alerting the residents. We are confused as residents because the intentions of the suspected assailants are not known. They manage to bring back the body in a place where we can easily locate it,” he says.
Ms Regina Nabachwa, another resident, said the incident has reawakened the fears of suspected child kidnappers involved in ritual sacrifice.
“This is a painful experience as a parent. They did not bother to call the parents for possible ransom. The suspects must have targeted the human body parts,” Ms Nabachwa claimed in an interview.
Recent incident
On August 31, police recovered the body of a three-year-old child hanging in a banana plantation in Kanyogoga Village, Luweero Sub-county. The deceased identified as Innocent Adriko had been left under the care of a 15-year-old by their mother, who had travelled.
As stated elsewhere on this site, human sacrifices are of all ages and all places. In principle, this site focuses on ritualistic activities including killings and murders on the African continent but without pretending that these cruel and superstitious acts are only happening or being committed by Africans in African countries.
The article presented below amply illustrates the foregoing. It goes without saying that a topic such as ‘human sacrifices in historical perspective’ covers a vast area and cannot be treated in one short and simple article. Nevertheless, I have thought it useful and informative to include the following article on this site.
Warning: some readers may find the following text shocking because of its graphic contents. (webmaster FVDK).
Countless Centuries of Human Sacrifice
Live Science recently published a list of 25 cultures that employed human sacrifice “from prehistory to the 21st century.”
Published: December 25, 2022 By: James A. Haught – ‘The Good Men Project’
In the history of religion, uncountable centuries of human sacrifice present a gory stunner.
It’s astounding that parents around the world sent their children and unwed daughters to be stabbed, burned, skinned, strangled, beheaded, drowned, crushed, clubbed or otherwise killed to please absurd gods and goddesses now known to be imaginary. Men – especially prisoners of war – also were sacrificed.
Live Science recently published a list of 25 cultures that employed human sacrifice “from prehistory to the 21stcentury.” It included China, the city of Ur (in today’s Iraq), Mound 72 near St. Louis, the Incas of Peru, the Mayas of Mexico, the Philistines of the Mideast, Aztecs of Mexico, ancient Egypt, Stonehenge, medieval Japan, Hawaii, early Romans, ancient Greeks, the Moche tribe of Peru, the Dahomey of Africa, Celts of Europe, Nazca of Peru, Vikings, Carthage, Mongols, hunter-gatherers of early Europe, the Indus Valley, ancient Korea, India, Tanzania.
Encyclopedia Britannica says:
“Sacrifice is not a phenomenon that can be reduced to rational terms; it is fundamentally a religious act that has been of profound significance to individuals and social groups throughout history, a symbolic act that establishes a relationship between man and the sacred order. For many peoples of the world, throughout time, sacrifice has been the very heart of their religious life.”
Here’s a section from my book, Holy Horrors, reprinted with permission from Prometheus Books and Rowman & Littlefield:
Over the centuries, sacrifice had many varieties. In ancient Phoenicia, boys were burned to satisfy Adonis and other gods – and the fall of Carthage was blamed on the faithlessness of nobles who substituted children of slaves for their own on the altars. In ancient Gaul, the Druids allegedly put victims into large wicker figures of men and set them afire. In Tibet, Bon shamans performed ritual killing. In Africa, the Ashanti offered about 100 victims each September to assure a good yam harvest. In Borneo, builders of pile-houses drove the first pile through the body of a maiden to satisfy the earth goddess.
The golden age of sacrifice came with the highly organized theocracies of Central America. After the Mayans amalgamated with fierce neighbor tribes in the 11th century, ritual killings proliferated to appease the plumed serpent Kukulcan (later called Quetzacoatl by the Aztecs) and sundry other gods. Maidens were drowned in sacred wells, and other victims were beheaded, shot with arrows, or had their hearts cut out.
In Peru, pre-Inca tribes killed children in “houses of the moon.” Beginning in the 1200s, the Incas built a complex theocracy dominated by priests who read daily magical signs and offered sacrifices to many gods. At major ceremonies, up to 200 children were burned as offerings. Mothers brought their darlings dressed in finery and flowers to be put to death. Special “chosen women” – comely virgins without blemish – sometimes were removed from their temple duties and strangled. Local rulers sent choice daughters to the capital at Cuzco as chosen women. Later they were sent back to be buried alive.
The ultimate murder religion was that of the Aztecs, which demanded about 20,000 victims per year. The chief deity was the sun, which might disappear, priests warned, without daily sustenance of hearts and blood. Multitudes of victims, mostly prisoners of war, were held on stone altars by clergy who ripped out their hearts with obsidian knives. Flesh from their arms was eaten ritually, and their skulls were preserved on racks holding as many as 10,000 heads. Raids called “wars of the flowers” were conducted to seize plentiful sacrifice candidates.
Priests also killed many Aztecs. Weeping children were sacrificed so that their tears might induce the rain god to water the crops. To please the maize goddess, dancing virgins were seized, decapitated, and skinned – and their skins were worn by priests in continued dancing.
In 1487, when the great Aztec temple in Tenochtitlan was dedicated, eight teams of priests worked four days sacrificing 20,000 prisoners, the entire manpower of three captured tribes….
In the Far East, five different types of human sacrifice were halted by British rulers in the 1800s. One was the yearly meriah by the Khonds of Bengal, who cut a victim into small pieces and buried the fragments in many fields to assure a good harvest. Another was a weekly rite by certain followers of the bloodthirsty Hindu goddess Kali who sacrificed a male child every Friday evening at a shrine in Tanjore, India.
A third was the Hindu code of suttee, which required a widow to leap onto her dead husband’s funeral pyre, willingly or unwillingly. The British banned it in 1829, but it persisted. (When Brahmans of Sind protested that suttee was their holy custom, Governor Charles Napier replied: “My nation also has a custom When men burn women alive, we hang them. Let us all act according to national customs.”)
In Burma, the Buddhist king moved the capital to Mandalay in 1854 and sanctified the new city walls by burying scores of “spotless” men alive in vats under the gates and bastions. In 1861, two of the vats were discovered to be empty – whereupon royal astrologers declared that 500 men, women, boys and girls must be killed and buried at once, or the capital must be abandoned. About 100 actually were buried before British authorities stopped the ceremonies.
The worst holy slaughter halted by the British was the infamous Thuggee strangling in India. For generations, certain secretive followers of Kali, the goddess of destruction, had been ritually dispatching an estimated 20,000 victims a year. The toll since the 1500s was estimated as high as two million. Thug theology held that Brahma the Creator produced lives faster than Shiva the Destroyer could end them, so Shiva’s wife Kali commanded believers to hunt humans and garrote them with sashes.
Thugs usually preyed upon travelers in unpopulated places. Victims were seized, strangled, ceremonially gashed, and buried, then the Thugs ate a ritual meal over the burial spot. (They also plundered the victim’s possessions – another motive for their religious fervor.) British officers finally broke Thuggee by ferreting out 3,689 cultists and hanging or imprisoning them, or branding them with “Thug” as a public warning. At a trial in 1840, one Thug was accused of strangling 931 people.
Other sacrifices lingered. In the 1800s an Ashanti king in Africa, wishing to make his new palace impregnable, sacrificed 200 girls and mixed their blood in the mortar of the walls. In 1838 a Pawnee American Indian girl was cut to pieces to fertilize newly sown crops. During the late 1800s, bodies of sacrificed children occasionally were found at Kali shrines in India.
***
Among those thousands of priests, I wonder if any realized that their gods were purely imaginary. Whether they did or not, their careers consisted of senseless, pointless, horrifying murder.
Warning: The following may upset the reader because of its graphic contents.
Yesterday I posted an article on the cruel attack on a 3 year old baby boy who became blind for the rest of his life as a result of the unscrupulous act of his cousin who gouged out his eyes for ritualistic purposes. The gory and cruel crime happened in East Africa, in Kenya.
The case presented below happened in Nigeria, West Africa, in June of this year. A similar horror story as what happened in Kenya. The reader is warned that the article contains a graphic description of the crime. It’s good that police has arrested three suspects. Nevertheless, the question remains: what makes people do such cruel acts? Are these people insane or just unscrupulous in their unstoppable desire for wealth and/or power based on superstition and fed by witchdoctors? (webmaster FVDK)
Nigeria, Bauchi State: Police arrest 3 in connection with removing boy’s eyes for suspected ritual
Published: June 27, 2022 By: Paul Orude, The Sun, Nigeria
Three suspects have been arrested by the Bauchi State Command for allegedly gouging out the eyes of a boy.
The Commissioner of Police Umar Sanda, disclosed this while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Bauchi.
Sanda reassured of the public of the Command’s commitment to bursting ritualists and other criminal activities and urged residents to be supportive.
He explained that the command has made adequate use of intelligence gathering to arrest the three suspects in connection with plucking out of the eye of the boy.
He said the arrest was in response to the case of a suspected ritualist who plucked the eye of the minor.
The terrifying incident occurred in the Jira Mountain Yelwa area of Bauchi Metropolitan.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, the suspect Isaac Ezekiel ‘m’ 32yrs of Rafin Zurfi Yelwa Bauchi Metropolitan had been arrested, where he voluntarily confessed to the unfortunate crime.
A prompt search of his house by the Police led to the recovery of Uzairu Salisu’s eyeballs, Wakil disclosed in a statement.
Wakil said the exhibit recovered from the suspects included the two human eyeballs in a calabash,cable wire used in perpetrating the heinous act and a travelling bag containing some native medicine.
He said suspects arrested in connection to the crime are Isaac Ezekiel ‘M’ 32yr-old of Rafin Zurfi Yelwa Bauchi Metropolitan, Nensok Bawa ‘M’ 38yr-old of Kabwir District Kanke Local Government Area Plateau State and Yohana Luka (AKA Doctor Samu) 52yr-old of Golbong Village Amper District in Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State.
“Findings reveal that in April 2022, Principal Suspect Isaac Ezekiel conspired with the two suspects above to conceive the idea to commit the atrocity of getting the eyeballs of a human being,” he said.
“On 24th June 2022 at about 0900hrs the principal suspect Isaac Ezekiel lured one Uzairu Salisu ‘M’ 16yr of Jahun Bauchi Metropolitan into a nearby Bush for a casual job on his farm, the Isaac Ezekiel used a cable wire to strangulate Uzairu Salisu into a coma and use a knife to remove the two eyes for a ritual purpose.
“Investigation is in progress, after which the suspects will be charged to court.
“The task has not been an easy one, but in line with our constitutional mandate, we shall remain fierce, tireless, and relentless in committing ourselves to the safety and security of lives and property of the people of Bauchi state and the country at large.”
Warning: The following articles’ graphic contents may upset readers
Nothing less than a horror story. In Kisii, in south-western Kenya a three-year old baby was attacked, his eyes gouged out allegedly for ritualistic reasons. The baby was saved and at present is in a stable condition but unfortunately the small boy will never regain his eyesight.
The police has arrested a suspect. Also the baby’s mother has been arrested. They are suspected to have gouged out baby Sangini’s eyes for ritualistic purposes.
The gory attack has caused many reactions, people are angry and saddened that an innocent child was attacked and that he will be blind for the rest of his life.
The story is almost too horrific to believe and the reader is warned that the following articles on baby Sangini contain graphic details including a photo of the young victim.
It is mainly because a similar attack took place on the other side of the African continent that I decided to draw attention to the mutilation of the Kenyan baby Sangini. Earlier this year, in June, police in Bauchi State, Nigeria, arrested three individuals for allegedly gouging out the eyes of a boy, also for rituals. Tomorrow I will post more details about the latter case. (webmaster FVDK).
Man suspected to have gouged out Baby Sagini’s eyes arrested The eyes were gouged out to be used as rituals
In Summary:
The suspect was Monday expected in court as investigators go on with their work. More suspects are being sought, police said Monday December 19.
Maina Ochoki (Baby Junior Sagini’s Cousin) is believed to be main the suspect in the case of Baby Sagini.
Maina Ochoki first suspect in the Marani case arrested,set to appear in court
Published: December 19, 2022 By: Cyrus Ombati, The Star – Kenya
Police on Sunday arrested the main suspect in a case where a three-year-old boy had his eyes gouged out in Kisii.
Maina Ochoki, baby Junior Sagini’s cousin, is believed to be the main suspect in the case of Baby Sagini.
Police investigators say Maina and his mother Pacifica gouged out Baby Sagini’s eyes to be used as a ritual.
The suspect was Monday expected in court as investigators go on with their work.
More suspects are being sought, police said on Monday, December 19.
By Sunday, Sagini was due for discharge following the doctor’s advice.
Kisii Eye Hospital director Dan Kiage said the boy was responding well to treatment and ready for discharge.
“It is unfortunate he will not see,” he said.
Sagini had been in the company of other children when he broke away, only to be found with his eyes gouged out and writhing in pain.
Attempted murder – Suspect in baby Sagini’s case detained for five days The three-year-oild had his eyes gouged out for a suspected ritual
In Summary:
* Police successfully sought to have Ochogo detained for five days over investigations into the gouging out of baby Junior Sagini’s eyes. * Prosecutor Hilary Kaino made the miscellaneous application to enable them arrest more suspects including Ochogo’s mother who is the main suspect.
ATTEMPTED MURDER: Alex Ochogo arrested for allegedly gouging the eyes of the three-year-old boy at Ikuruma village in Marani subcounty, Kisii on Monday, December 19. Image: CYRUS OMBATI
Published: December 19, 2022 By: Magati Obebo, The Star – Kenya
A man arrested for allegedly gouging out the eyes of a three-year-old boy in Kisii will be detained for five days pending investigations.
Alex Ochogo, 26, appeared before senior resident magistrate Christine Ogweno at Kisii law court on Monday.
Police successfully sought to have him detained for five days over investigations into the gouging out of baby Junior Sagini’s eyes at Ikuruma village in Marani subcounty, Kisii.
Prosecutor Hilary Kaino made the miscellaneous application to enable them arrest more suspects including Ochogo’s mother who is the main suspect.
Kaino told the court that Ochogo was seen escorting his mother to a bus station, who then fled to Nairobi on the day baby Sagini was found in a maize plantation.
Police are investigating a case of attempted murder.
“The main suspect was the last person seen with this child in the evening, hours before he disappeared. The following morning this suspect left to Nairobi,” Kaino told the court.
The prosecutor told the court that holding the suspect in custody will guarantee his safety against harm by members of the public.
Advocates Daphine Biyaki and Nduhukire Anita who were watching the brief for baby Sagini, agreed with the prosecutor’s application to detain the suspect for five days.
Ogweno ruled that the suspect will be detained at Rioma police station for five days as the police conclude investigations.
“The suspect will be arraigned in the same court on December 23 to know his fate as the court gives directions,” the magistrate said.
Baby Sagini’s mother was also arrested on Sunday and booked at Nyanchwa police station under OB NO 13/18/12/2022.
She was locked at the court’s police cells and later driven away by DCI officers the moment Ochogo appeared in court.
Baby Sagini who is admitted at Kisii Eye hospital in an early interview said a man with a rope and a torch took him from their home compound where he was playing with other kids.
Sagini’s eye specialist Dr Dan Kiage said the boy is in a stable condition however, there is no way he will regain his eyesight.
Police said Ochogo and his mother Pacifica are suspected to have gouged out Sagini’s eyes to be used as ritual for Ochogo’s father.
It is alleged that the two conspired in December 2021 and killed Ochogo’s father.
Manhunt – Sonko issues Sh200,000 reward for suspects in Sagini case Baby Sagini, 3, had his eyes gouged out during an attack by unknown thugs in Kisii
In Summary:
He offered a Sh400,000 reward to any officer who will fish out the suspect.
The former governor further promised an additional Sh200,000 for any person who volunteers information that may lead to arrest of the key suspects
CASH REWARD: Former Nairobi governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko.
Published: December 18, 2022 By: Magati Obebo, The Star – Kenya
Former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko has joined other leaders to condemn the assault on Junior Sagini from Ikuruma, Marani in Kisii.
Sagini, 3, had his eyes gouged out during a gory attack by unknown thugs on Thursday night.
Sonko described the incident as saddening.
He offered a Sh400,000 reward to any officer who will fish out the suspect.
The former governor further promised an additional Sh200,000 for any person who volunteers information that may lead to arrest of the key suspects.
The incident has evoked a string of reactions across the political divide.
Nominated Senator Essy Okenyuri visited Sagini at Kisii Eye Hospital on Saturday where he is receiving treatment.
She asked security agencies investigating the case to leave no stone unturned.
Okenyuri said no child deserves to go through torture, the kind Sagini suffered in the hands of his tormentors.
“Every child deserves to be treated with dignity notwithstanding the circumstances they are brought up. I am hoping nothing will stand in the way as justice is sought for him,” she said.
Political activist Steven Nyarangi said the incident was heart wrenching.
By Saturday evening, detectives in Kisii said they were quizzing the father-Thomas Ongaga- over the incident.
He had been living with the child after separating with the wife.
Police, however, said he was not in their custody yet as a suspect adding that they sought him for information as part of preliminary investigations.
Already Vigilance House has dispatched an additional team of detectives to help unravel the motive behind the bizarre attack.
In Kisii, friends have begun donating money for Sagini’s medical bill.
The hospital bills has shot to Sh100,000 with family members requesting help.
At the hospital, Sagini innocently played in his bed with bandages wrapped on the empty sockets oblivious that the verdict on his ability to see again had been decided by a tormentor.
He asked doctors when he is going to see.
Villagers and relatives at Ikuruma found him covered in blood and crying in pain after a night out in the cold.
The minor is said to had broken off from the other team of children sent out Wednesday to fetch water only to be discovered with eyes gouged out.
The attack on the boy horrified Kenyans, leading to a growing outcry and outrage over violence against children in the country.
Discharged – Kisii Governor Arati offsets baby Sagini’s hospital bill, condemns attack The three-year old baby had his eyes gouged out during an attack by unknown thugs
In Summary:
Arati visited the baby at Kisii Eye Specialist Hospital on Sunday morning where he volunteered to offset the Sh100,000 medical bill.
Kisii Eye Hospital director Dan Kiage said the boy was responding well to treatment and ready for discharge.
MEDICAL BILL: Kisii Governor Simba Arati with Kisii Eye Hospital boss Dan Kiage after he visited baby Sagini whose eyes were gouged out by an attacker on Thursday night. Image: MAGATI OBEBO
Published: December 18, 2022 By: Magati Obebo, The Star – Kenya
Kisii Governor Simba Arati has termed baby Junior Sagini’s attack as appalling and despicable.
The three-year-old had his eyes gouged out by unknown thugs in Ikuruma, Marani on Thursday night.
Arati visited the baby at Kisii Eye Specialist Hospital on Sunday morning where he volunteered to offset the Sh100,000 medical bill.
Sagini was due for discharge following the doctor’s advice.
Kisii Eye Hospital director Dan Kiage said the boy was responding well to treatment and ready for discharge.
“It is unfortunate he will not see,” he said.
Sagini had been in the company of other children when he broke away, only to be be found with his eyes gouged out and writhing in pain.
Arati said plans are afoot to have Sagini and his sister relocated to a safe house.
“It is unfortunate that such a small boy could be brutalised like this. It points to the growing mental problems society is grappling with, which should form part of the wider investigations,” Arati said.
During the visit, Arati asked security agencies and government administrators in the villages to monitor families that go through marital challenges and refer them for counseling, to avert such disasters.
He offered to set up a rehabilitation centre, to take care of such cases.
“We will do a supplementary budget to ensure this is realised,” the governor said.
Also see:
In Kisii – Detectives probe father of boy whose eyes were gouged out Cops say they have not arrested him but are only questioning him
In Summary:
• County police boss Mutungi Musyoki, however, said they are only questioning the father as part of the preliminary investigations.
• He is currently recovering at Kisii Eye Hospital, where doctors said he will never see again following the attack.
Published: December 17, 2022 By: Magati Obebo, The Star – Kenya
Detectives in Kisii on Saturday opened a probe into the bizarre incident where a minor’s eyes were gouged out in a Thursday night attack in Marani.
They have questioned the father of the boy, Thomas Ongaga- who lives with the children alone after separating from their mother.
Police said they are piecing every detail together as they search for clues that may lead to the arrests of key suspects in the macabre attack on the three-year-old.
County police boss Mutungi Musyoki, however, said they are only questioning the father as part of the preliminary investigations.
“We are only questioning him, he has not been arrested,” Musyoki told journalists.
The motive of the beastly act remained unknown as a manhunt for the suspects continues.
The minor, Junior Sagini, was reported missing after visiting the maize farm with her seven-year-old sister.
There were other conflicting reports that they were in the company of other children and that they had been sent to fetch water when he broke away from the team only to be found later, soaked in blood with eyes gouged out.
He is currently recovering at Kisii Eye Hospital, where doctors said he will never see again following the attack.
Police said they are not leaving anything to chance as the manhunt is still on.
“We want to know what happened in between the visit to the farm, at what point did the two siblings separate, who kidnapped him and committed the heinous act on him,” Musyoki said.
Kisii Eye Hospital director Dan Kiage said that the boy was in bad shape when he was brought in.
“It appears the attacker used a sharp object like a knife to injure the eyelids. The problem is that he won’t see again,” he said.
Horror as boy, 3, kidnapped and eyes gouged out in Kisii Minor was rushed to hospital after he was found with his case covered with blood
In Summary:
The minor was rushed to the Kisii Eye Hospital after he was found with his face covered with blood.
When the other children got home with their jerrycans full of water, they informed his grandmother what had happened.
Published: December 17, 2022 By: Cyrus Ombati, The Star – Kenya
A special police squad has been sent to a village in Kisii to investigate a bizarre incident where suspected thugs kidnapped a three-year-old baby and gouged out his eyes before dumping him at the family’s banana plantation.
The gang is said to have taken away the child from his family home in Marani on Wednesday, December 14 evening and held him for more than six hours, sending the family into panic as they searched for the minor’s whereabouts in vain.
The minor was rushed to the Kisii Eye Hospital after he was found with his face covered with blood.
Doctors have said he will remain blind for now and he is recuperating in the general ward after a surgical procedure.
“Both his eyes had been removed completely and there are some injuries in the lids…so it looks like there was a sharp instrument like a knife that was used,” Dr Daniel Kiage at the facility said.
Residents of Ikuruma village in Marani, Kisii county, are yet to tell the motive of the incident.
Police had initially arrested one of the boy’s relatives as a suspect in the investigations but later released him for lack of evidence connecting him to the crime.
A team of detectives has since been sent from Nairobi to boost local ones in the probe.
Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin said they want to know the motive and those behind the bizarre incident.
Swathes of bandages are covering the emptiness where his eyes once were.
His family is calling on the police to speed up investigations and bring to the perpetrators to book.
Doctors said the boy is scheduled for a second operation as soon as he is stable enough.
The boy’s grandmother Rael Mayieka told police it all started when her grandson, went to fetch water from a nearby spring.
He was in the company of other children but it is said that he threw his jerrycan into a nearby thicket and started running away.
When the other children got home with their jerrycans full of water, they informed his grandmother what had happened.
The granny went to the spring searching for her grandson, but he was nowhere to be seen.
It was until the following day that his elder brother who had gone to cut grass for the cows pounced on him in a maize plantation and alerted them.
