Category Archives: corruption

Oluwo Of Iwo, Osun state, Nigeria: Some traditional rulers behind ritual killings in their domains

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An inspiring and powerful speech of the Oluwo of Iwo, Osun state, who is not afraid to say what’s on his mind, even if this may disturb his fellow traditional rulers. I quote: “Sadly, as we speak, no traditional ruler, as far as I know in Nigeria, is speaking against ritual killing, which is gradually becoming a norm in our present day society. If I may ask again, why are all these things going on and no king is talking about them? Are some of our kings part of these ugly game? Some kings justify so many ugly things pertaining to ritual killings in the name of customs and traditions. What culture and tradition are they talking about?”

He even goes one step further, by directly accusing his fellow kings: “I know these comments will unsettle many kings, still involved in all manner of ritual killings.” Unquote. 

It is no small talk what Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi asserts – even though we we may be surprised by certain details.

We should congratulate him with his outspoken views and rejection of the heinous crimes which are the ritualistic killings in Nigeria, also known as ‘money-related rituals’.  

“Ritualism is not culture or tradition, as far as I am concerned”, according to the Oluwo of Iwo.

I sincerely hope that many traditional rulers in Nigeria will soon follow his example.

Read below what Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi had to say. 

Thank you Oluwo of Iwo!
(webmaster FVDK),

Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi 
Photo/ Facebook/ emperortelu1/ Taosandphotography

Oluwo of Iwo: some traditional rulers behind ritual killings in their domains

Published: May 19, 2019 – 3:07 am
By: Gabriel Omonhinmin  

On May 7, 2019, at exactly 7.45 a.m., Palace Watch got an SMS from HRM Oba Adewale Abdul-Rasheed Akanbi Telu 1, the Oluwo of Iwo, and the message was “Africans, nay Nigerians are no devils. Yoruba as a people are blessed and our culture and tradition is the best. But what is required now is for all men of goodwill to advocate upgrading of all sectors of our cultural practices to make them more appealing. As a King, I will not stop until I help to make our cultural heritage and traditional values, the envy of the world.”Palace Watch then reached out to Oluwo of Iwo, who shared his thoughts on various national issues.

What brought about the message you sent?
The message arose from the pains I currently suffer over the damming issues of ritual killings, kidnapping and other worrisome crimes, which have continued to unsettle most Nigerians and foreigners alike. For how long will all these crimes be allowed to fester unattended to in our society?

This is not the type of society we inherited, and there is no way I will continue to keep quiet like most monarchs across the country over these very worrisome matters. I have resolved to continue with my advocacy over these issues. I know most traditional rulers, who are involved in all manner of rituals will not be happy with me and will not find my advocacy funny. I am, however, determined to ensure our children no longer die unnecessarily over ritual related matters, due to age-long ignorance of ritual killings by kings and their friends or allies.

The act is not only barbaric, but it is also wicked and unacceptable in any civilized setting. We must, therefore, do all within our powers as traditional rulers to make sure African gods or deities that require only human blood are no longer appeased.Just a little over 100 years ago, it was a great woman called Mary Slessor that fought so hard to stop killings of twins in some Nigerian societies because we ignorantly believed then that twins were devils. All twins in Nigeria should eulogise and celebrate Mary Slessor. 

Nigerians are dying in thousands daily because of ritual killings. The case of Badoo in Lagos is one singular example of this evil. It is a very good example of money rituals, which have become the common practice in our society. Mind you, the practice is all about shedding of innocent blood. The situation has gotten so bad that children can no longer trust their parents and neighbours, due to societal craze and desperation for quick money. 

As if this is not painful enough, most parents, guardians and other relatives are now in the habit of selling their wards and relatives into slavery to places like Italy, Libya, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. Some of these children are made sex slaves and in the process killed and unaccounted for. 

Other high level crimes are daily committed, due to desperation of seeking greener pastures abroad, which is a mirage. Enough of this. Government must now begin to act and speak up against this type of crime. If not for President Muhammadu Buhari’s quick intervention, innocent blood would have been shed by Saudi Arabian government in the case of little Zainab Aliyu and the 81-year-old man, who were implicated by a desperate drug cartel at Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano. Their lives would have been wasted just like that. 

With this type of crime, what precedent are we showing our children, especially the youths? All traditional rulers of good conscience should henceforth rise up and do all within their powers to rid the society of these elements, especially those residing in their domains. They should deliberately continue to do all within their powers to assist law enforcement agents to arrest these elements, no matter how wealthy they are. They are not good examples to any society.

It might not be palatable to most traditional rulers across Africa,especially Nigeria and Yoruba land. But we must henceforth learn to do away with traditional and cultural practices that encourage these types of inhuman practices. We as traditional rulers need to show love and compassion at any given time. 

We need to change what we met our forefathers ignorantly doing to harm our society. Such acts are not culture or tradition; they are simply evil that we must do away with. And once we do this, Africa will no longer be regarded as backward and evil by others, especially European countries. 

My prayer, therefore, is that any traditional ruler, especially my fellow Obas, who find it difficult supporting this type of noble act of preserving innocent lives, his family members should also experience the pains family members of victims of ritual killings, kidnappings and other violent crimes currently ravaging our society suffer.

The principal reason for placing this curse is simple. There is a common adage in Yoruba land, which says, “The elderly can’t be around and watch helplessly as children go astray or die recklessly in their presence.” Traditional rulers by our customs and traditions, no matter their age, are the elderly in any society. They, therefore, have a role to play to help stem this ugly trend that is not helping our society in any way or form. 

We are kings, so we must see everyone in our society as our children, especially the very young and vulnerable. Sadly, as we speak, no traditional ruler, as far as I know in Nigeria, is speaking against ritual killing, which is gradually becoming a norm in our present day society. If I may ask again, why are all these things going on and no king is talking about them? Are some of our kings part of these ugly game? Some kings justify so many ugly things pertaining to ritual killings in the name of customs and traditions. What culture and tradition are they talking about? 

I honestly expect my fellow Yoruba Obas to have learnt a lesson or two from the Efon Alaye king, who was hanged sometime in the 60s or early 70s for his complicity in the killing of a young child in the name of rituals. Ritualism is not culture or tradition, as far as I am concerned. That particular incident showed clearly that some of our Yoruba Obas are part of this nonsense. The Efon Alaye Oba was caught, but what about other kings, who are still doing these things and have not been caught? Is it right and proper? We are all sitting down looking in the name of culture, while they are busy killing our children.

And some people call such terrible barbaric acts culture and tradition? It was these types of acts that gave impetus to the money rituals that are almost becoming a norm in our present day society. When will they stop?All these happenings around African countries are contributing to our lack of progress. Mind you, any country that does all these things will never be at peace with itself. These are simply natural reactions that come without any curse. These ugly acts naturally recycle themselves and come with karma. People still have the erroneous belief that karma will never come. Then let’s wait and see, if they don’t stop henceforth, what will happen to them and their generations yet unborn. 

I know these comments will unsettle many kings, still involved in all manner of ritual killings. They will hate me more, but I honestly don’t care about how they feel. If this nonsense is not stopped forthwith, what kind of future are we laying down for our children and generations coming after us?

Why do you think Law enforcement agencies, particularly the Police seem helpless?
How can the police uncover the crimes, if people are not willing to cooperate with them? Police need lots of information to work with, and the people are not forthcoming with such information, just because they have been hoodwinked in name of culture and tradition. 

Just recently, an Oba in the Southwest was to be buried, women were particularly warned not to stray into the town during late hours, otherwise they would be killed. Assuming an illiterate lady that can’t read and write get stranded in that town, what is the guarantee that the innocent lady who is just going about her business would not be killed, to justify one nonsense culture and tradition? Which culture or tradition says that a king or his people should illegally take the life of another person they did not help to create?

With this position, most traditional rulers across the country, especially your fellow Obas from the Southwest, will see you as a rebel. Does this not bother you?
I don’t care what they think of me, I am only after the truth. Will I say because of what other Obas, who are mere mortals like me think or say about me, I should not speak against the barbaric acts they are involved in, and which are not helping society? If we choose to keep quiet, what are kings for? What are leaders for? What are the roles of traditional rulers in helping to make society a better place? 

My friend, people are free to use their mouths anyhow they like. I am for the truth and will never leave that path, which is pleasing to the Almighty Allah. Nigeria is just like the personal domain of every king. Once traditional rulers begin to genuinely speak against these evils, people involved in these acts will no longer have the liver to continue with their acts. And with this position, the entire country will become safer for all of us.

What is the way forward and how do we stop all these acts?
Our message goes out daily to the Obas and kings involved in these ugly acts, but they are not ready to change. The few of us that believe in the truth and the betterment of society will force them to quit the acts that do no one any good. Their alibi is that they inherited these customs from their forefathers, but they fail to realise that their forefathers were not living in a civilized and enlightened society, such as the one we have today.

Most of these secret cults that require human sacrifice, which some of our kings and their people cued into, were never founded by kings. The association founded by kings as a group, is the Assembly of traditional rulers, which is called Council of Traditional rulers in states and local government and the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria at the national level. 

Indeed, these groups are voluntary associations of kings across the country, where the welfare and well-being of kings are discussed alongside other issues of national importance. These groups or bodies do not demand any form of sacrifice nor human blood or that of an animal. 

So, I am henceforth advocating that we now have bodies that should be known and called for example, the “Yoruba Council of Oba,” an assemblage where all Yoruba speaking Obas should sit down once in a long while and discuss matters concerning the Yoruba nation generally. Similarly, we should have Ijaw Council of Obas, Igbo Council of Obis or Eze, and the Hausa Fulani Council of Emirs.

These groups should be able to meet separately at different times, compare notes about things happening around their areas that are bothering them, and then bring such before the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria. Please, try to get the point I am pushing here. These Yoruba, Ijaw, Igbos and Hausa Fulani Councils of Kings do not in any way invalidate all other existing councils in the Local Government Areas and the states across the country, which meet more frequently than the one I am proposing, which will only meet in a very long while.

If government wants the security situation in the country to improve drastically, it must henceforth learn to empower traditional rulers and traditional institutions. No security system can impact on the ordinary people without the cooperation and collaboration of traditional rulers across the country. 

Are you comfortable with the level of funding for traditional institutions by government?
Nice to know that efforts are now being made by the Federal Government to channel Local Government Areas’ allocation to them directly. But much as this move is applauded, it will not help the present security situation in the country. The Obas, Obis and Emirs are the Chief Security Officers (CSO) in their domains.

If this is true, then the kings need to be funded. The Federal Government should make provision for a special budgetary allocation for traditional rulers to deal with security needs. This is the way to go. Oftentimes, the kings that are not funded by government are the ones supporting and providing funds and other logistics for the police to fight crimes in their domains.

The Nigeria Police can hardly do anything meaningful without the kings’ cooperation. Honestly, the salaries of Obas, Obis and Emirs are nothing to write home about. If I tell you the monthly salary of a First Class Oba in the Southwest, especially in Osun State where I am, you will be ashamed and scandalised. Yet, so much is expected from these kings. The North is slightly better, but it is still not enough. 

Once the government at the centre begins to offer reasonable resources to kings across the country, and they are legislatively empowered to take some actions and decisions, things will naturally improve security-wise across the country. Most criminals see kings as toothless bulldogs that can do little or nothing. 

When a king wants to correct criminals in their domains, they go to court, saying the king does not have the power to do this or that to them. But if kings are given some legal backing, most criminals will run away from their domains or decide to behave themselves. Criminals are not ghosts, but there is little or nothing a king can do the way things are now.The government should, as a matter of urgency, formulate policies to criminalise some of these practices. Some kings are hiding behind ritual killings to commit all sorts of atrocities. These acts are nothing but cultural corruption.

Source: Some traditional rulers behind ritual killings in their domains — Oluwo Of Iwo

Ritual murder of Bouba in Ivory Coast: “Witchdoctors should be hunted”

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Also in Ivory Coast witchdoctors (locally called ‘marabouts’ and ‘féticheurs’) are held responsible for ritual killings committed in this country. The article reproduced below focuses on the case of a 4-year old boy named Bouba who disappeared, had his throat sliced and was found back buried. In the article, the author André Silvar Konan also mentions the wave of kidnappings of small children that terrified the population of this francophone West African country in 2015. André Silvar Konan criticizes the local authorities, accuses them of complicity, and demands justice: those who are responsible should be traced, arrested, tried and spend the rest of their lives behind bars. He points at corruption and illegal enrichment as driving forces behind these ritual killings and pleads for another, more healthy, state of mind – not only in Ivory Coast, but in the whole of Africa.

The original article also contains 20-plus interesting comments published on Facebook.
(webmaster FVDK)

Crime sur le petit Bouba en Côte-d’Ivoire: « Les marabouts et féticheurs des brouteurs ne doivent plus connaître de repos »

Translation (mine – FVDK – free translation):
“Witch doctors of predators should be hunted”

Published: February 28, 2018
By: André Silver Konan

“Missing” (left); “The suspect” (right)

Après le crime sur le petit Bouba à Williamsville (Abidjan), André Silver Konan exige que les marabouts et féticheurs des brouteurs soient traqués, arrêtés, jugés et condamnés à vie. Ci-dessous sa position.
Personnellement, j’ai un problème avec la manière dont le ministère public mène les enquêtes en Côte d’Ivoire chaque fois qu’un criminel rituel est mis aux arrêts. Dans l’affaire Bouba, on a une unique occasion de démanteler un vrai réseau criminel qui a choisi comme cible, nos enfants.

Pour mettre fin à ce genre de crimes rituels, opérés par de stupides gens qui pensent encore au 21è siècle, qu’ils peuvent devenir riches, en volant la vie d’un homme ; la justice doit amener les personnes arrêtées, à citer, non seulement leurs complices et commanditaires, mais surtout leurs marabouts et autres féticheurs.

On ne pense pas souvent à ces derniers, mais ils sont l’alpha et l’oméga de tous ces crimes. Les marabouts et autres féticheurs sont les premiers criminels dans ces affaires, il faut les arrêter parce qu’ils sont soit des complices soit des commanditaires de ces meurtres. Tant que ces derniers ne seront pas inquiétés, harcelés, arrêtés, emprisonnés à vie (je milite pour la prison à vie de ces gens-là), ce phénomène ignoble va continuer.

Heading (translated): Case of 4-year old child kidnapped, sacrificed and buried: “Suspect mentions ‘big shot’ – Accomplice arrested” (Source: Soir info, Wednesday, February 28, 2018 – Ivory Coast / Côte d’Ivoire).

Je répète : les marabouts et féticheurs de ces brouteurs stupides ne doivent plus connaître de repos. J’avais proposé en 2015, après la vague historique d’enlèvements d’enfants dans le pays, qu’un procureur spécial et une brigade spéciale soient nommés, pour lutter contre les atteintes aux droits de nos enfants. Je réitère cette proposition, elle reste d’actualité.

J’avais déjà dit que la corruption était un état d’esprit en Afrique. Je soutiens aussi que l’enrichissement illicite est un état d’esprit. Nous vivons tous dans des quartiers avec des brouteurs, qui deviennent riches du jour au lendemain, alors que nous savons pertinemment qu’ils ont, au pire usé de sacrifices rituels criminels pour devenir ce qu’ils sont, au mieux de vols et de détournements de fonds d’autrui, pour être ce qu’ils sont.
Mais qui d’entre-nous songe à les dénoncer ? Qui au sein de la justice, songe à traquer véritablement les brouteurs, si ce ne sont de petites actions médiatiques ? Quel DJ n’est pas fier de chanter les louanges d’un brouteur et n’est pas heureux de recevoir son argent dégoulinant du sang de nos enfants ?

Regardons autour de nous, les gens sont nommés et trois mois plus tard, ils roulent carrosses et construisent immeubles. Mais n’est-ce pas eux que nous prenons comme modèles dans nos quartiers, que nous désignons comme respectables dans nos villages, que nous choisissons à des postes électifs ?

Nous avons une Inspection générale d’Etat, une haute autorité pour la bonne gouvernance, des Agents judiciaires du Trésor, des Inspecteurs et contrôleurs financiers dans tous les ministères, mais combien de personnes ont déjà été arrêtées, jugées et condamnées pour enrichissement illicite, détournements de fonds publics ?

Les crimes rituels en rapport avec l’enrichissement rapide et illicite continueront tant que les autorités elles-mêmes qui sont censées faire respecter les textes sur l’enrichissement illicite continueront de se comporter comme des brouteurs. Y en a marre !

André Silver Konan

Source: Crime sur le petit Bouba en Côte-d’Ivoire: « Les marabouts et féticheurs des brouteurs ne doivent plus connaître de repos »
February 28, 2018
Le 28 février, 2018

Related article:

Insécurité : Des artistes se révoltent après l’assassinat du petit Bouba
Translation (mine – FVDK – free translation)
Artists enraged after the murder of young Bouba

Published: March 1, 2018
By Philomène Yaï (Stg) – linfodrome

4-year old Aboubcar Sidick nicknamed Bouba was murdered. Marabouts and/or féticheurs had been involved (witchdoctors). Bouba had disappeared and was found back dead, buried. His murderers had his throat sliced, apparently for ritual purposes.

Artists in Côte d’Ivoire  have reacted on the brutal killing of the young child Aboubcar Sidick nicknamed Bouba. His murder was a trending topic on social media and had a tremendous impact on the showbiz community in Ivory Coast.

Read the following article (in French):

Des artistes ivoiriens ont réagi après l’assassinat du petit Aboubacar Sidick dit Bouba. L’affaire, qui a affolé les réseaux sociaux depuis quelques jours, a touché les acteurs du showbiz ivoirien.

Les artistes n’ont pas voulu rester en marge de ce drame qui a affecté la Côte d’Ivoire. Chacun a, à son niveau, posé des actes pour exprimer sa srevolte et temoigner sa solidarité.

Debordo Leekunfai a effectué le déplacement pour aller soutenir la famille meurtrie résidant à Williamsville.

Bien avant son déplacement, l’artiste a traduit ses sentiments de tristesses sur les réseaux sociaux. « J’ai le cœur qui saigne ! Un cœur en larme ! Pourquoi enlever un sourire à un enfant qui n’a rien demandé à part vivre ! Je dis NON à tous ces actes d’enlèvement ! Que cela cesse ! Chers parents, protégeons nos enfants, car ils sont la relève de ce pays ! Que ton âme repose en paix petit ange! », a exprimé le chef du robbot macador.

”Opah La Nation” ne s’est pas arrêté là. Il a ajouté que le Showtime qu’il prépare en ce moment, qui est prévu le 31 mars 2018, au Palais de la culture d’Abidjan, est dédié à ce petit Bouba.

A côté de Debordo Leekunfa, Mc One, le filleul de Kédjevara Dj, a lui aussi eu une pensée pour le petit Bouba. Avec des paroles poignantes dans un single, Mc One a rendu hommage à Aboubacar Sidick. « Petit Bouba fait la fierté de son père et sa mère, vit le jour au jour mais ne sait pas que la vie est très amère, que pout peut changer d’une minute à l’autre. La vie est un choix mais dans certains cas la vie choisit pour nous même (…), prenons conscience et posons de bons actes pour assurer notre atterrissage parce que la vie est un vol et la mort est un crash. Bouba, Petit Bouba, je sais que de là où tu es, tout va bien …», a écrit Mc One dans son texte en hommage au petit Bouba d’un crime rituel d’un bijoutier.

Source: Insécurité : Des artistes se révoltent après l’assassinat du petit Bouba
Le 1 mars, 2018
March 1, 2018