Category Archives: child

Baby’s eyes gouged out for rituals – two persons arrested in Kenya 

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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.

Source: Man suspected to have gouged out Baby Sagini’s eyes arrested

Also:

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.

Source: Suspect in baby Sagini’s case detained for five days

Also see:

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. 

Source: Sonko issues Sh200,000 reward for suspects in Sagini case

Also see:

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. 

Source: Detectives probe father of boy whose eyes were gouged out

See also:

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.

Source: Horror as boy, 3, kidnapped and eyes gouged out in Kisii

And another report:

Cousin: This is why we gouged out 3-year-old baby Sangini’s eyes

Kisii (also known as Getembe or Bosongo) is located in south-western Kenya, near lake Victoria

Some of the deadliest human sacrifices in history

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The article below is not specifically describing the actual situation in one or more African countries. The article is brief and superficial. The reason why I decided to post it here is that it illustrates the fact that ritualistic killings, human sacrifices, and the belief that sacrificing a human being in a ritual with the objective to please the gods or the ancestors are as old as mankind and have occurred or are still occurring all over the world.

It goes without saying that although these age-old practices occur world-wide, they have no place in the 3rd millennium of mankind.
(webmaster FVDK)

SOME OF THE DEADLIEST HUMAN SACRIFICES IN HISTORY

Published: December 12, 2022
By: Oluwatomiwa Ogunniyi – Guardian, Nigeria  

In the past, human sacrifices were prevalent all over the world.  The manner in which they were carried out was dreadful and not for the faint-hearted. We have compiled a list of some of the deadliest human sacrifices in history; you wouldn’t believe some of them!

  1. Persecution of People with albinism

Albinism is a genetically inherited condition that is very rare and it affects approximately one in every 20,000 people worldwide. Though rare in the western world, albinism is fairly common in sub-Saharan Africa, most likely, as a result of consanguineous alliances. Even though albinism occurs in both males and females and is not specific to any race or ethnic group, many still believe that it is a punishment from God or a result of hard luck.

Some Africans still believe that certain parts of an albino’s body have magical powers. This belief has led to many witch doctors and those seeking ingredients for their rituals to kill them. As a result, thousands of people with albinism have been killed and dismembered, and their graves of dug up and desecrated. The scary thing is that this practice is still common in Africa today. 

  • The Lafkenches Tribe Sacrifice

In the year 1960, the strongest earthquake and tsunami ever recorded on the moment magnitude scale hit Chile, thereby, killing thousands of people and destroying many homes and properties in the process. This earthquake became known as the great Chilean earthquake and it led to widespread fear of the possible cause. The people came to the conclusion that the god of the sea was angry with them and so they decided to offer a sacrifice.

They chose a five-year-old child and sacrificed him in a horrifying manner: he had his legs and arms and was stuck into the sand of the beach like a stake and the beach carried him away so that the waters would be calmed. The culprits were arrested and charged but they were released after two years.

  • The Mayan Sinkhole Sacrifices  

During the pre-Columbian era, the Mayans are known to have carried out all manner of ritual sacrifices, as they believed that human sacrifice was the ritual offering of nourishment to the gods. And one manner of sacrifice practised was the sinkhole, where they deposited valuables and human bodies into the cenote as a form of sacrifice to the rain god Chaac.

They also believed that the sinkholes and cenotes were portals to the underworld and they would appease dead spirits by offering human sacrifices to them. Explorers have discovered many sinkholes including the Sacred Cenote, a water-filled sinkhole at the pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site on Peninsula. Archaeological investigations have removed thousands of objects from the bottom of the cenote, including artefacts made from gold, jadeite, copal, wood, rubber and cloth, as well as thousands of human skeletons.

  • The Child Sacrifice in Carthage

Child sacrifices were very common in ancient cultures maybe because they believed that children possessed innocent souls and therefore were acceptable as forms of sacrifices to gods.

The Carthaginians would have a sacrificial fire pit where children would be thrown into by their parents. The practice became very repulsive to the Carthaginian parents who became tired of killing their own children. In response, they decided to buy children from neighbouring poor tribes, or care for their servant’s children who would then be offered as sacrifices. And during calamities like war, drought or famine, the priests demanded that even the youth be offered as a sacrifice. The sacrifices were carried out on a moonlit night, the children would be killed generously and their bodies would be tossed into the fiery pit amidst singing and dancing.

  • The Killing of Twins in Nigeria

This is another form of child sacrifice as the killing of twins was a cultural practice among some ethnic groups in Nigeria. Back then, multiple births were seen as an abomination against the earth deity and giving birth to twins was considered a bad omen that could bring devastation or calamity upon society. Twin babies were believed not to be humans but evil.

In 1876, Mary Slessor, a Scottish missionary assigned to Calabar, gradually worked towards changing the cultural belief that twins were evil. However, by 1915, following intervention by the British government, twins and their mothers were fully integrated into their communities. 

Source: Some of the deadliest human sacrifices in history

Malawi continues to be unsafe for people with albinism – another murder of an albino child

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Warning: some readers may find this story disturbing because of its detailed and explicit description of a crime.

On many occasions I have drawn attention here on the violence against people with albinisme in Malawi. See mee previous posts (using the dropdown menu in the heading under ‘African countries’, or you my click here). On November 30 another murder of an albino girl, Tadala Chirwa, only three years old, was committed for the sole purposes of using her body parts for rituals linked to the delusion that this would bring luck or good health to the delinquent perpetrator. The incident happened in Mawawa, in the center of the country. The brutal crime followed the abduction of another albino child in Phalombe township, in the south of the country, on November 19. And, reportedly, in October, unknown persons exhumed the grave of an albino person in order to amputate the arms and legs of the corpse.

When will it end? When will Malawi be a safe place for all Malawians?

The government of Lazarus Chakwera, president since 2020 and leader of the Malawi Congress Party is urged to ensure safety to all Malawians including people with albinism and investigate all violence against them and bring perpetrators of crimes against people with albinism without any hesitation to the country’s courts where the accused will be impartially tried and punished for their crimes after being found guilty in a transparant public trial.

As long as this is not the case, Malawi cannot be called a country where the rule of law is being applied (webmaster FVDK).

Amnesty International denounces ritual murder of three-year-old albino girl in Malawi

Child with albinism attends school in Machinga, Malawi. –
JOSEPH MIZERE / XINHUA NEWS / CONTACTOPHOTO – Provided by News 360

Published: December 2, 2022
By: Daniel Stewart – News 360

Amnesty International on Friday denounced the brutal murder in Malawi of a three-year-old albino girl whose arm was amputated postmortem in the false belief that the limbs of people with this skin discoloration possess “magical properties.”

“We find the horrific nature of Tadala Chirwa’s death deeply disturbing,” said Amnesty’s Southern Africa campaigner Vongai Chikwanda.

The murder occurred on November 30 in Mawawa, in the center of the country, when an unidentified man entered the home of the girl’s grandmother, where she was sleeping, and stabbed her to death in the neck before amputating her arm, which he took with him.

According to information available to the NGO, the person responsible for the crime has not yet been arrested.

Amnesty also sees signs of a new pattern of crimes against the country’s albino population following the November 19 abduction of a two-year-old boy in Phalombe township in the south of the country.

In October, unknown persons exhumed the grave of the mortal remains of an albino person in order to amputate the arms and legs of the corpse.

“The authorities,” calls Amnesty International, “must also take urgent action to ensure the safety of people with albinism in Malawi, investigate all previous attacks and provide justice for the victims and their families.”

Source: Amnesty International denounces ritual murder of three-year-old albino girl in Malawi

Also:

Albino toddler, 3, murdered in her bed and leg cut off for ‘lucky charm’ by sick intruder

Former President for the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi, Overstone Kondowe (Image: Getty Images )

Published: December 3, 2022
By: Sean Meleady – Express, UK

Little Tadala Chirwa was murdered in her grandmother’s house with the intruder stealing her severed leg in a disturbing pattern of killings driven by a bizarre belief that albino body parts bring wealth.

A killer mudered an albino toddler in her bed then cut off her leg for good luck. Tadala Chirwa, three, was sleeping at her grandmother’s house when the intruder broke in to carry out the sick crime just before midnight on Wednesday. She was snatched from the bed she was sharing with her grandmother in the village of Mawawa. The “shocking” murder in central Malawi is believed to have been driven by a belief that the body parts of people with albinism guarantee good fortune. It comes just weeks after the attempted abduction of a two-year old albino boy in the Phalombe district. 

The incident on 19 November involved three masked assailants attempting to break into a home where a toddler was asleep with his mother and a sibling. However, the mother managed to get her family to safety.

The human rights organization Amnesty International has urged the Malawian authorities to improve the protection of people in the east African country following the death of the infant.

Vongai Chikwanda, Amnesty International’s Campaigner for Southern Africa, said: “The horrific nature of the death of Tadala Chirwa is deeply shocking and a cause of great concern.

“This killing and the removal of a limb is consistent with past patterns on attacks on persons with albinism, which are driven by the false belief that their body parts bring wealth and good luck.

A 23 year old Malawi albino women pictured in 2015 (Image: Getty Images )
An Albino child pictured in Nkole, Machinga district (Image: Getty Images )

“Authorities must promptly and thoroughly investigate the killing of Tadala Chirwa and ensure that those suspected of responsibility are brought to justice in fair trials.

“The authorities must also take urgent steps to guarantee the safety and security of persons with albinism in Malawi, including by investigating all past attacks and delivering justice for victims and their families.”

Albino musician

Source: Albino toddler, 3, murdered in her bed and leg cut off for ‘lucky charm’ by sick intruder

Nigeria: outrage in Ogun State after ritual killing of Togolese girl

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Ritual murders are not uncommon in Nigeria but it is rare that the victim is a non-Nigerian. Reportedly, the Togolese girl – allegedly a seven-year old girl but the first article below mentions her age as ten years old – was murdered by a ritual killer. in Ota, Ogun State.

The case is now under investigation.

Warning: the following articles contain graphic details (webmaster FVDK).

Suspected ritualist kills Togolese girl in Ogun State

Published: November 24, 2022
By: Adekunle Dada – Within Nigeria

Suspected ritualists have reportedly killed a 10-year-old Togolese girl in Ota, Ado-Odo/Ota local government area of Ogun State.

The tragic incident happened around 7 am on Thursday at Kilani Street, Iyana Iyesi area of Ota, Ogun State.

A friend of the victim’s mother who was a neighbour was said to had sent the girl to her home to get charcoal. But, on getting to the house, the girl sighted some hoodlums who had broken into the house, carting away some property.

It was further gathered that the attempt by the girl to run away having seen and identified them failed as they reportedly held her and killed her with a pestle.

According to PUNCH, a neighbour who pleaded anonymity said the killers were suspected ritualists who had hidden somewhere in the building, attacked her and smashed her head with a pestle.

The source said the girl’s cry for help attracted the neighbour’s attention, but she was dead before anybody could arrive at the scene.

A resident of the area, Bolanle Sunmonu, said that the neighbours searched for the suspects, but they had left and could not be found.

It was gathered that police were alerted but the suspects had long escaped before they could get to the scene to assess the situation.

Another resident said “the police have taken away the body of the victim. I know the girl very well, we used to call her Mama. The suspect killed her in cold blood. At first, we thought it was a thief, but further findings revealed that the guy is a ritualist.

“When we searched further, we discovered that the man had charms and a goat hidden in an empty building close to his victim’s house. When we got there, we saw a goat. The goat attacked one of us, but it was later killed. This is a sad occurrence,” another source stated.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident said the killers were armed robbers and not ritualists.

Oyeyemi said, “It is true. The mother is a Togolese and has a female friend who is a Ghanaian. It was the Ghanaian woman that sent the girl to her house to get her charcoal.

“Getting to the house, she met the robbers who identified her and did not want her to expose them. They killed her.

“Our men have combed all the areas but had not got them. The command will ensure they are arrested.”

Source: Suspected ritualists kill 10-year-old Togolese girl in Ogun

See also:
Outrage as ritual killer murders girl in Ota Ogun State
Published: November 25, 2022
By: Naija Gists

and:
Ritual killing of Togolese girl shocks Nigerians
Published: November 26, 2022
By: Staff Reporter – Nigeria Abroad

Kayunga District, Uganda: two get 40 years in jail over ‘child sacrifice’

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On November 13 I posted on this website a report on the notoriety of Kayunga District in Uganda when it comes to child sacrifices and ritualistic murders. In this posting I mentioned the case of Allan Ssembatya – then a six-year old small boy – who was cut with a machete and left fighting for his life in a forest. The offence was committed in Busolo Village, Kayunga District, in 2009. Luckily, Allan was found alive. Two men were arrested for attempted murder; recently they were sentenced to 40 years in prison. Both Allan Ssembatya and the the convicts, Awali Kivumbi and Paul Ngaswireki (see photo), were residents of Busolo in Kayunga Sub-county, Kayunga District.

Thirteen years after the incident took place justice was delivered. Hail to the Uganda judicial system! Nevertheless the foregoing, ‘prevention is better than cure’: all efforts should be made to prevent these crimes through proper education and the eradication of superstition.
(webmaster VDK)

Warning: some readers may find the following report disturbing.

Two get 40 years in jail over ‘child sacrifice’

Awali Kivumbi (left) and Oaul Ngaswireki (right) during the court hearing. PHOTO | FRED MUZAALE

Published: September 20, 2022
By: Fred Muzaale – Monitor, Uganda

Court has sentenced two men to 40 years imprisonment each after they were found guilty of attempting to behead a six-year-old boy for ritual sacrifice.

Chief Magistrate Sarah Tusiime yesterday sentenced Paul Ngaswireki and Awali Kivumbi, after evidence linked them to attempting to murder Allan Ssembatya who was cut with a panga (machete) and left fighting for his life in a forest. 

He was only discovered by his grandparents while in a coma.

“In light of the above evidence, submissions and the law, the prosecution has provided its case beyond a reasonable doubt that A1 and A2 are guilty of the offense of attempted murder of Ssembatya Allan contrary to Section 204 of the Penal Code Act,” held magistrate Tusiime.

The prosecution led by Mr Edward Muhumuza states that the offence was committed in 2009 in Busolo Village.

Ssembatya is now 19 years and in Senior One.

At the time of the incident, Ssembatya was six years old and in Primary Two at Busaale Church of Uganda Primary School, Kayunga. 

In her ruling, the magistrate held that the conduct of the two convicts before, during and after the commission of the act was wanting.

The magistrates explained that Kivumbi, had been a good neighbour and even visited Ssembatya’s family quite often in hospital.

“It makes one believe that the frequent visits by A2 (Kivumbi) were to monitor the health of the victim or to conceal their participation. Such conduct is enough to prove that indeed there was malice aforethought,” held Ms Tusiime.

The magistrate also observed that the body parts damaged were the neck, head, skull, shoulder and testis.

The victim and the convicts were all residents of Busolo in Kayunga Sub-county, Kayunga District.

The convict was in their first trial acquitted for lack of evidence. However, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) appealed, leading to yesterday’s verdict.

Present at court were the father of the victim and a number of anti-child sacrifice activists from Kyampisi Childcare Ministries, a non-governmental organisation.

The magistrate branded the case as purely one for “child sacrifice”.

Both convicts asked for lighter sentences.

“I have 12 children and two wives and I was their breadwinner. I now don’t know what my family is up to,” Kivumbi said.

Mr Peter Sewakiryanga, the executive director of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries, said he had relocated Ssembatya’s family for their safety.

“My belief is that now we have a precedence that, however long it takes to get justice, when there is will by the community, justice can be delivered,” Mr Sewakiryanga said.

Source: Two get 40 years in jail over ‘child sacrifice’

Ivory Coast tackles ritual child killings (2015 article) 

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Reports on ritualistic activities including murders in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) are few on this site since its start in early 2018. In September 2018 I posted a report on the ritual killing of a four-year old boy, Bouba.

I’ve indicated earlier that there’s a bias in my research which uses sources which are more focused on the anglophone world than on francophone and lusophone countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. I very much regret this situation which for the moment I can’t change.

A few years before Bouba was found murdered, mutilated, clearly for ritualistic purposes, in early 2015, the BBC published a shocking report following the reported kidnapping and killing of at least 20 children in the preceding weeks across the country. Most of the lifeless bodies found showed signs of mutilation, indicating ritualistic motives.

What were the reasons for this surge in ritual murders which took the lives of so many young, innocent children and left their families grieving? Unfortunately, reliable information on the why, how and by whom is lacking. All I can say is that 2015 was an important election year In the Ivory Coast. In October 2015 presidential elections were held. A coincidence? Or an indication of the explaining circumstances?

He or she who knows the answer may contact the webmaster of this site (webmaster FVDK).

Ivory Coast tackles ritual child killings

Published: January 30, 2015
By: BBC

Police in Ivory Coast have set up a special unit to investigate a series of suspected ritual child killings.

At least 20 children have been kidnapped and killed across the country in recent weeks and most of the bodies have shown signs of mutilation. 

Extra police and soldiers have been deployed to patrol known danger spots in the city of Abidjan, including areas around schools. 

The BBC’s Tamasin Ford sent us this report from Abidjan.

Screenshot. Ti listen to the original broadcast, please click here

Source: Ivory Coast tackles ritual child killings

Uganda: two witchdoctors arrested over child sacrifice in Mbale

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Perpetrators of human sacrifices in Uganda face severe punishments including the death penalty when found guilty of ritual murder. This does not scare certain individuals to engage in this cruel, gruesome and criminal practice, as the article below demonstrates. (webmaster FVDK).

The Daily Monitor and Daily Monitor Yahudu Kitunzi are to be commended for paying attention to this news.

Two witchdoctors arrested over child sacrifice in Mbale

One of the suspects who confessed to the ritual murder sits on a police truck after leading detectives to the crime scene in Sisye Cell, Namatala Ward in Mbale City on September 1, 2022. PHOTO/YAHUDU KITUNZI

Published: September 1, 2022
By: Yahudu Kitunzi, reporter Daily Monitor

What you need to know:

  • A detained suspect who led police to the crime scene on Thursday morning told detectives that “they killed the child for sacrifice.”

Police in Mbale City have arrested two witchdoctors who confessed involvement in the sacrifice of a five-year old boy who disappeared three weeks ago.

One of the two suspects leads police to the crime scene in Sisye Cell, Namatala Ward in Mbale City on September 1, 2022. PHOTO/YAHUDU KITUNZI

With some parts missing, the body of Rajibu Nasamba was Wednesday evening found buried in a sugarcane plantation along Kabwagasi Road in Namatala Ward, Northern Mbale City Division.

“The deceased disappeared and his parents reported the case of disappearance to police. We have arrested two suspects to help with investigations,” Elgon region Police Spokesperson, Mr Rogers Taitika confirmed.

He identified the suspects as Jamadah Isiko and Ibrahim Isiko, who are brothers and residents of Kiduda Cell in Namatala Ward in Mbale Industrial City Division.

Detained Isiko who led police to the crime scene on Thursday morning told detectives that “they killed the child for sacrifice.”

 “It’s my brother who beheaded the boy and brought the body in the sugar cane for traditional rituals,” he said.

A police detective at the crime scene in Sisye Cell, Namatala Ward in Mbale City on September 1, 2022. PHOTO/YAHUDU KITUNZI

Preliminary police investigations indicate that the duo are also connected to the alleged sacrifice of a son to Mr Lukman Musamba.

Namatala ward resident Musamba said his son disappeared from home under unclear circumstances.

“I reported the disappearance of my son at Namatala police stations and I also placed radio announcements but in vain,” Mr Musamba, said.

Ms Mariam Mwiza, the Anti Human trafficking Activist, asked police to take the cases serious.

“The suspects shouldn’t be given a bond and thorough investigations should be conducted by police,” Ms Mwiza emphasized.

Mr Taitika disclosed that the suspects currently detained at Mbale central police station will be prosecuted but also cautioned parents to protect their children.

Human sacrifice in Uganda attracts severe punishments that may include life in jail or death.

Source: Two witchdoctors arrested over child sacrifice in Mbale

Madagascar: angry mob attacks police station to kill four alleged kidnappers of albino child – Police opens fire

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Reports on ritual killings in Madagascar are rare – which should not be understood as being the same as the absence of ritualistic murders – but the position of people with albinism (PWA) on this large Indian Ocean island is fragile, as I reported earlier this year (see my April 3 and June 16 postings).

A recent attack on a child with albinism in Ikongo, about 50 miles southeast of the capital Antananarivo, angered a mob which subsequently tried to invade a police station where four suspects of the kidnapping were being held in custody. The consequences can be read below.

The rule of law is a good thing, mob justice cannot be tolerated, but questions can be asked about the conditions and reasons which prompted police officers to use their deadly weapons.

Apart from this question, we would like to know the outcome of the interrogations of the four suspects and – above all – which measures the government of President Andry Rajoelina is taking to improve and protect the position of people with albinism on this large island.

Madagascar is an island situated east of the African continent, in the Indian Ocean, separated from mainland Africa by the Mozambique Channel.

Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island and the world’s second largest island-country (after Indonesia). It has a population of nearly 30 million people (2022). (webmaster FVDK)

Cops shoot dead 14 people and wound 28 in Madagascar as they open fire on crowd trying to break into police station to kill four men accused of kidnapping albino child

A crowd of around 500 angry villagers armed with machetes and knives descended on the local police station in Ikongo

Published: August 29, 2022
By: Daily Mail – Jack Newman for MAILONLINE

  • A crowd of 500 angry villagers descended on the Ikongo police station
  • They were demanding officers hand over the four alleged kidnappers
  • When they refused to back down, police opened fire, killing 14 people 

Police in Madagascar have shot dead at least 14 people and wounded 28 others after opening fire on a crowd of protesters angered at the kidnapping of an albino child.

A crowd of around 500 angry villagers armed with machetes and knives descended on the local police station in Ikongo calling for the release of the four suspects arrested yesterday, so they could be dealt with by the mob.The demonstrators then ‘tried to force their way in’ to the station, a police officer told AFP. 

‘There were negotiations, the villagers insisted,’ the officer said over the phone, adding police fired smoke grenades and shots in the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd.

‘They continued to force their way through… We had no choice but to defend ourselves,’ the police officer said.

Local doctor Tango Oscar Toky said ‘nine people died on the spot’ and another five died later in hospital.

Nine of those injured were in a critical condition, he said.

‘The gendarmes… fired on the crowd,’ local lawmaker Jean-Brunelle Razafintsiandraofa in the southeastern town of Ikongo told AFP.

Some sub-Saharan African countries have suffered a wave of assaults against people with albinism, whose body parts are sought for witchcraft practices in the mistaken belief that they bring luck and wealth.

Because of the superstition, their body parts can be sold for thousands of dollars and they are often targeted in ritual killings. 

Some believe that having sex with an albino woman can also cure AIDS. 

The kidnapping took place last week, according to Razafintsiandraofa, an MP for the Ikongo district about 50 miles southeast of the capital Antananarivo.

No further details were immediately available.

Madagascar, a large Indian Ocean island country, is ranked among the poorest in the world.

Source: Cops shoot dead 14 people and wound 28 in Madagascar as they open fire on crowd trying to break into police station to kill four men accused of kidnapping albino child

Uganda: parents arrested for killing their child in ritual sacrifice

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Warning: the following may upset the reader because of the graphic details

A gruesome act. Parents who torture and kill their child in cold blood. Allegedly for ritualistic purposes. Why? It’s a mind-blowing question.
(webmaster FVDK)

Parents Arrested for Killing Their Child in Ritual Sacrifice

One of the suspects, Bosco Gudo, after being arrested

Published: August 19, 2022
By: Wambuzi Reacheal – Uganda Radio Network

Police in Kiira region on Friday confirmed the arrest of Bosco Gudo and his wife Eseza Musasizi over the killing of their  two and a half-year-old son Jordan Kitimbo sacrificial  rituals. 

32 year old Gudo and his wife Musasizi aged 21 years, both residents of Buwolelo village, in Buwenge sub-county, in Jinja district, are reported to have killed their son on Thursday.

The suspects are reported to have peeled off part of their son’s skin, extracted unknown quantities of blood in a bowl and immersed his lifeless body in hot water, as a means of covering up their crime. 

They later covered his remains in clean bedsheets before rushing them to Buwenge general hospital mortuary.

Their actions raised suspicion amongst residents who informed police, that in turn mounted a search in the house, where they recovered human parts suspected to be part of the deceased’s body.  

Perepetwa Namukose, a resident in the area, says that there was no reported fire outbreak at their neighbor’s house, yet the parents claimed that the toddler had succumbed to fire burns. “Our houses are close to each other, so it was hard for us to believe that Gudo’s son would succumb to burns, without any of us noticing anything,” Namukose says.  

On his part, the Kiira regional police spokesperson, James Mubi stresses that available reports indicate that these suspects have been mistreating Kitimbo, despite numerous cautioning from community members. 

Mubi says a team of detectives has been dispatched to expedite inquiries into the matter, adding that the suspects are being detained at Buwenge central police station. 

Source: Parents Arrested for Killing Their Child in Ritual Sacrifice

Ghana: case of businessman in alleged ritual murder sent to Attorney General for advice

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First of all, the suspect, Oppong Kyekyeku, is facing a charge of preparation to commit a crime. Allegedly, the accused when facing financial difficulties consulted a spiritualist and agreed to offer his 11- year old daughter for a ritual. What struck me beyond the assumed superstition and the gruesome murder inevitably linked to the ritual is the fact that the suspect has been living in the Netherlands for many years before he relocated to Ghana a year ago.

Seemingly ‘normal people’ are capable of committing gruesome murders. It’s a known fact, but when again confronted with this reality, I find it quite shocking.
(webmaster FVDK)

Case of businessman in alleged ritual murder sent to Attorney General for advice

Published: July 19, 2022
By: Modern Ghana

The case of Evans Oppong Kyekyeku who is accused of attempting to use his daughter for ritual purposes has been sent to the Attorney General ‘s Office for advice.

When the matter was called today, Monday July 18, 2022, before Ms Ama Adomako Kwakye, Chief Inspector Lawrence Kofi Anane, who held a brief of Chief Inspector Richard Amoah, prayed for a date as a duplicate docket had been sent to the Attorney General.  

Defence Counsel said he had followed up at the AG Office adding that the State was finding it difficult to advise on his client’s case as there was no evidence against him (Oppong Kyekyeku). 

The Court, therefore, adjourned the matter to August 1 and remanded Oppong Kyekyeku into Police custody. 

Oppong Kyekyeku is facing a charge of preparation to commit crime to wit, murder. 

The accused’s plea has been preserved by the Court. 

The fact of the prosecution is that Kyekyeku is the father of the victim aged 11 years and he has been living in Holland for many years but relocated to Ghana a year ago. 

In the month of May this year, Oppong Kyekyeku allegedly told a friend known as Kwame that he was facing financial difficulty and consulted a spiritualist. 

The accused allegedly agreed to present his daughter for the ritual. 

He was, however, picked up after he had allegedly managed to send the daughter for the ritual at Oyibi Kom in Accra. 

GNA

Source: Case of businessman in alleged ritual murder sent to Attorney General for advice