Category Archives: FVDK

Liberia: Rise in ritual killings prompts president Sirleaf to pledge security crackdown

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On numerous occasions Liberian leaders have publicly denounced the ritual murders that take place in the country. We can mention President William Tolbert (1971-1980), Gyude Bryant (Chair of the Transitional Government after the Second Civil War, 2003-2006) and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (2006-2018). The fact that the presidents Samuel Doe and Charles Taylor were not so outspoken on this subject, certainly not in public, has special reasons……..  

The article below on Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s warning and reaction does not constitute the first and only time that she denounced the phenomenon of ritualistic killings in her country. More on it at a later stage.
(Webmaster FVDK) 

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says increase in ritualistic killings and armed robbery are threatening security

Published: November 20, 2015
By: The Guardian 

Liberia’s president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, vowed on Thursday to crack down on those responsible for a rise in ritual killings in the West African country as it seeks to emerge from the shadow of an Ebola epidemic.

In some areas of central Africa, body parts are prized for their supernatural powers and are used in black magic ceremonies. Local media have reported at least 10 related murders in Liberia in the past few months. (Italics added by the webmaster, FVDK).

Johnson Sirleaf said in a speech: “We are witnessing the rise in what appears to be ritualistic killings and armed robbery in the country, thus threatening our security.” 

“I am instructing the security forces to rigorously enforce the law to the letter and bring this ugly situation under immediate control.”

It is not yet clear why ritual killings are rising and Johnson Sirleaf offered no explanation. Some residents have speculated that presidential hopefuls seeking to replace Johnson Sirleaf when her final term expires in 2017 are using black magic to boost their chances.

Liberia was declared Ebola-free for the second time in September after reporting more than 4,800 deaths but its economy is struggling to recover.

Johnson Sirleaf said in the same speech she would seek to boost power supply and access to electricity and build additional infrastructure in the last two years of her term.

Source: Rise in ritual killings in Liberia prompts president to pledge security crackdown

Liberia: More women in ritualistic killings in Sinoe County

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As I continue to say, both on this site and on my website Liberia Past and Present, the phenomenon of ritual killings has never completely disappeared in Liberia. Originally a cultural practice, nowadays it is closely linked to politics, elections and the greed for (more) wealth and power.  At this particular moment in time it is not known what the background and linkages are of the ritualistic killings in Sinoe County disclosed here by County Attorney Cllr. J. Adolphus Karnuah. As soon as we learn more about these cases we will come back with the relevant news. (FVDK)

For more details on Liberia’s history of ritual murders, see Ritual Killings in Liberia: From Cultural Phenomenon to Political Instrument

Flashback: Scene of the most famous ritualistic killing ever in Liberian history that occurred in Maryland County in the 1970s. 

Published: January 25, 2019
By: The New Dawn

County Attorney for Sinoe Cllr. J. Adolphus Karnuah has disclosed that more women have been caught for ritualistic killings in Sinoe County, southeast Liberia.

Speaking to a team of journalists at the Temple of Justice on Thursday, 24 January, Cllr. Karnuah disclosed that cases of ritualistic killings have topped the docket.

He narrates that six out of 20 women were arrested by police officers, charged and placed behind bars for the alleged crime of ritualistic killings.

Cllr. Karnuah tells the interview that during the police raid, the key perpetrator was arrested, but she was very boastful in her utterances, noting that the matter would end up nowhere.

According to Cllr. Karnuah, the issue of ritualistic killing is said to be taking place in January this year in the district of Numorpor which has its own superintendent and other county officials.

According to him, one of the ritualistic killing incidents took place when the mother of a little boy left him on the farm to go out to fetch some pepper, bitter balls and other food substances for cooking.

He says upon the lady’s arrival, she realized that her son was missing.

Cllr. Karnuah explains that after days of searching without a trace of the missing boy, his father decided to use the help of a herbalist.

The lawyer says upon the father’s return, his wife was said to be part of the crime.

The county attorney says the mother made confession that she was part of the devilish club and it was now time for her to give her own son as a share of her sacrifice.
But he says the lady escaped along with three other women who also confessed to be witchcrafts.

He notes that while the women were in the bush, they were pursued by some men in the community who caught and stripped them naked and gang raped them until one of the ladies identified as Wallet Nyenweh was allegedly killed in the process.

The lawyer narrates that during the trial, he ordered the body of the dead woman exhumed in other to prove the alleged gang rape which was said to have caused her death.

Source: 
https://thenewdawnliberia.com/more-women-in-ritualistic-killings-in-sinoe/

DRC: Magic, murder and the lost boys of Congo’s long war

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David Wroe wrote an astonishing article on child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), or Congo-Kinshasa, as it is also called (to distinguish it from its neigbour, Congo-Brazzaville).  As the author describes, these youngsters ‘were tricked into fighting, forced to perform brutal rituals, and killed by the thousand in battle.’ Unfortunately, this is not unique for the DRC. 

‘Meet the child soldiers who have helped fuel the world’s longest running conflict.’

We will not reproduce here the entire article, which is highly recommended literature,  but will just focus on the phenomenon which is the focus of the current website: superstition, ritualistic killings and the absence of the rule of law. (webmaster FVDK)

Magic, murder and the lost boys of Congo’s long war

Published: December 23, 2018
By: David Wroe

Former child soldier Olivier at a farm that is run by a local organisation helping teenagers and young men, including former militia members to learn a trade. (Photo: Kate Geraghty)

At night, the boys of Congo’s children’s militia would take the heads of the soldiers they had killed and place them in a ritual circle around the campfire.

Then they would mock them.

Belittling the heads of their enemies made boys such as 15-year-old Victor* feel powerful and brave.

He was part of a group of youngsters who brought down a government soldier one night in March last year in the city of Kananga in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They let him shoot until his rifle ran out of bullets, then they charged him with machetes, sharpened sticks and garden hoes. Victor says he was given the job of cutting the dead soldier’s head off.

“The commander of the camp said I had caught someone who was very strong. And when we caught him he was no longer very strong and they started laughing at the soldier, saying, ‘Show us now how strong you are,’” Victor recalls.

What they did next cranked up their courage up to a frenzy.

The boys rolled the head into the embers of the “Tshiota”, the holy campfire. After the man’s skull had burned, the commander made Victor collect the ash, grind it into a fine powder and mix it with wine.

“Then they gave it to us to drink,” Victor says. “You become furious and can fight without fear. That is the way it was.”They call it “manga” – the magic that made them invincible.

Victor, whose name has been changed, is one of thousands of children recruited into militias that rose up in the southern DRC region of Kasai in 2016 against a corrupt, neglectful and repressive government.

In a region where families are large and poor, where the social fabric is threadbare and where government services barely exist, it is easy to convince or coerce children to join armed groups. Their recruitment is helped by a widespread belief that arcane rituals – sometimes involving cannibalism – confer magical powers that prevent their being harmed in battle.

(…)

(…)

Source: Magic, murder and the lost boys of Congo’s long war

Malawi VP Chilima: ‘Stop ritual murders of albinos’

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As mentioned yesterday (Jan. 21, 2019), technical difficulties prevent me from duplicating here the original article in the Nyasa Times (the webmaster FVDK).

VP Saulos Cilima’s remarks come after unknown assailants (probably on December 31, 2018) killed 54-year old Yassin Kwenda Phiri, a person with albinism who was working as a hospital assistant at Kande Health Center in Nkhata Bay. Chilima’s UTM party has also issued a strongly worded statement condemning the murder.  Not surprisingly, Malawi will have elections in the near future, on May 23 of this year. 
Please also read the related article posted on January 21 on this site: ‘MP Kalindo threatens to reveal syndicate on albino ritual murders’.

VP Chilima: ‘Stop ritual murders of albinos’

Published: January 3, 2019
By: Nyasa Times

Source:
Security lapse worries Malawi VP Cilima: ‘Stop ritual murders of albinos’

Malawi: MP Kalindo threatens to reveal syndicate on albino ritual murders

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Political opponents who throw stones to each other making allegations that have not been proven should be listened to – but they are not necessarily to be believed immediately. One such politician is Mulanje South Member of Parliament Bon Kalindo in Malawi. He was recently arrested in Lilongwe and was charged with two counts of allegedly misconduct and of insulting the president.  MP Kalindo alleges his arrest was ‘politically motivated’. A few days after his release from prison – on bail – he was assaulted and severely beaten up.

Kalindo said his arrest has taught him a lot of things including getting to know the syndicate of albino killings.  He claims that the albino killings is a syndicate and it involves senior officials with big names hence the need to stop pushing the blame on witch doctors or rituals. “I will come back to reveal everything through this program once my case is settled in court.”, he said. “I have so many revelations to make”, he added. Kalindo made history in Malawi when he led a demonstration in favour of concrete action against perpetrators of attacks on people with albinism, in what was called ‘naked’ march.      

We will continue to follow this case (webmaster FVDK).

For technical reasons the original article in the Nyasa Times could not be duplicated. The summary above is based on the Nyasa Times article of January 20 (2019), staying as close as possible to the original text. (Webmaster FVDK)

Published: January 20, 2019
By: Nyasa Times

Source: Kalindo threatens to reveal syndicate on albino ritual murders: Brands DPP as a ‘party of savages’

Zimbabwe: surge in ritual murder cases worries police

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Last year was busy for the Zimbabwe Republic Police as several murder cases were recorded despite efforts by the police to curb such cases through campaigns to respect the sanctity of human life.

Most of the murder cases were a result of intoxication, altercations or misunderstandings, family and domestic disputes, among others. The ZRP also recorded an increase in ritual murders and victims who were robbed and killed by armed robbers. (Italics added by the webmaster FVDK).

(….) 

Recently, a Harare man was allegedly caught with a human head in the car he was driving after a high-speed chase. (Italics added by the webmaster FVDK).

Emmanuel Matsika (27) who has since appeared in court charged with murder, was driving a suspected stolen vehicle. Police had earlier recovered a headless body in a disused toilet in Harare’s light industrial area.

Matsika, who is homeless and lives at a dumpsite near the University of Zimbabwe, appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Elisha Singano who denied him bail and remanded the matter to January 7.

Allegations are that Matsika hatched a plan to kill the now deceased David Arendi.

He allegedly went to a disused toilet at the corner of Lytton and Paisley roads in Workington, Harare, on December 21 and confronted Arendi, killed and cut off his head using a knife.

He then allegedly took Arendi’s head and left his body at the scene. Matsika was later arrested after a high-speed chase and police recovered two blood-stained knives and the head in the car he was driving.

Matsika allegedly indicated to the police how he murdered Arendi at the crime scene.

Prosecutor Mr Shepherd Makonde applied for Matsika to be treated as a psychiatric patient, but the magistrate, Mr Singano dismissed the application saying Matsika was in his right senses and fully understood and appreciated the allegations against him.

Matsika is yet to disclose why he allegedly killed Arendi.

(….)

Source: Surge in murder cases worries police 

Related news:
Man found with human head confesses in court to clear his conscience
Published: December 26, 2018
By: Agunbiade Sanya

Nigeria: Coroner reveals gruesome details of former Ondo Governor’s daughter’s murder

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In July 2018 I reported on this site on the ritual murder of the daughter of the former deputy governor of Ondo State, Khadijat Oluboyo. Consultant Pathologist, Dr. Olumuyiwa Pelemo, has now revealed graphic details of her gruesome death (webmaster FVDK).

Warning: the following reports contains shocking details!

Coroner reveals gruesome details of former Ondo Governor’s daughter’s murder

Published: January 17, 2019
By: Ella Egbo

Following the murder of the daughter of the former deputy governor of Ondo State, Khadijat Oluboyo, Consultant Pathologist, Dr. Olumuyiwa Pelemo, has revealed graphic details of her gruesome death.

Dr Pelemo made the disclosure yesterday, Wednesday, January 17, 2019, while testifying during the murder case before an Akure High Court.

According to the coroner, the hairs on the deceased’s head and pubic region were shaved, and her two upper front teeth removed.

The Police prosecution team which was led by Helen Falowo, reportedly invited the medical expert to present evidence before the court during the murder case.

Dr. Pelemo als said that the corpse, which was dug up and used for autopsy on July 9, 2018 had already been at the early stage of decomposition.

He said that it was observed “that there was an abnormal shaving of the hair on the deceased’s head and the pubic region while her two upper front teeth had been broken off, leaving only some fragments left.”

The coroner added that there had been fractures on her neck bones, shoulder as well as her sixth ribs on both sides.

A dislocation of her hip joints and another fracture on the upper part of her thighs was also discovered.

Dr Pelemo said that “the injuries could not have been self inflicted but given by another party, and inflicted with a significant pressure especially the upper thigh region which had a lot of muscles.

He added that “there were lacerations on her chest which damaged two major vessels known as the phemora artery and vein that circulate blood in the body.

“The combined effects of the injuries led to Khadijat’s death.”

Vanguard reports that the autopsy report was admitted in court as an exhibit after due process.

Also testifying in court, the defendants brother said that his family heard about the case when the suspect confessed to killing the missing girl and burying her in his room.

He also said that the suspect had pleaded with him to help dispose of the corpse but he had forced him to confess to their father who in turn, reported the case to the police.

The father of the defendant, Seidu Siyanbola’s testimony confirmed that of his son.

Seidu also added that he had known the deceased as his son’s girlfriend, stating that the couple had been courting for three years.

He disclosed that his son had told him that some men had killed Khadijat and buried her in his room, threatening to deal with him and his family if he reported the murder to the police.

Seidu said that was the reason the suspect had given him for hiding the murder even when the family of the deceased were searching for her after she had gone missing.

He also added that his son had not shown any emotion during the time the body was decomposing in his room.

The case was finally close by the prosecution and the defense is expected to open its case on January 21, 2019.

Recall that the deceased was reportedly killed and allegedly used for ritual by her boyfriend of eight years, Saidu-Shakiru Adeyemi.

According to previous reports, the suspect is reported to have buried the deceased in a grave and slept on it for several days prior to his arrest.

Source: Coroner reveals gruesome details of former Ondo Governor’s daughter’s murder

Nigeria – political map

Zambia: Albino Doctor murdered in Kapiri

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As explained below, this is not with certainty a ritual murder case. We have to be careful not to judge too quickly and only accept clear facts before   concluding that another albino person has become victim of superstition. Unfortunately, there are too many examples in Zambia and other African countries that the life and safety of a person living with albinism are in danger and are being threatened on a daily basis. This explains the reaction of the Albino Community in Zambia. People have a right to live without fear. That’s a human right. (webmaster FvdK). 

Published: January 15, 2019
By: Chris Phiri 

Masked criminals have killed a medical Doctor Lewis Chola, an albino person who was attached to the Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka in circumstances that has shocked his family and send fears to the Albino Community in Zambia.

The masked assailants abducted Dr. Chola, from his home in Kalingalinga in the evenings on 3rd January, 2019.

Information gathered suggest that the abductors later demanded for a 5000 Kwacha ransom from his Family before killing him and dumped his body near a Lodge in Kapiri Mposhi.

The deceased body had no parts missing to suggest that his killing could be a ritual murder but the Albino Community through Gift Sakala, a representative of the Albino Multipurpose corporative, the Zambia Police has been called upon to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Source: Albino Doctor murdered in Kapiri

Kapiri Mposhi District – Zambia

Gabon: youngster victim of ritual sacrifice in Koula-Moutou

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The year 2018 ended badly for a 10-year old boy in Ogooué-Lolo province in Gabon. Ravel Dinga was reported missing at Christmas. His parents had been desperately looking for him. On January 3, 2019 a man who was collecting fruits in the woods nearby Ravel’s home-town Koula-Moutou found his dead body, mutilated.  The perpetrators of this horrible act had left the body of Ravel in a shallow pool of water in an attempt to make the murder look like a drowning.  When the victim was found, his ears, eyes, tongue and penis were missing. 
(…..)

The original article, in French, contains many more details which I have left out here. I also omitted a very graphic picture of the deceased. Readers are hereby warned that the original article – following the link (‘Source) below – does contain this gruesome picture.  
(webmaster FVDK)

Gabon: un adolescent sacrifié à Koula-Moutou

Published: January 4, 2019
By: Matin d’Afrique / Jonas Moulenda

Vision d’horreur jeudi dans une forêt près du chef-lieu de la province de l’Ogooué-Lolo (sud-est du Gabon). Le corps d’un garçon de 10 ans y a été retrouvé par un homme qui se rendait en brousse pour y chercher des fruits.

The small boy Ravel Dinga had disappeared at Christmas Day 2018 from his home in Koula-Moutou

Le petit Raven Diba, 10 ans, était recherché par ses parents depuis plus d’une semaine. Il avait disparu du domicile familial à Koula-Moutou en fête de Noël. Son corps a été retrouvé dans une forêt environnante jeudi par un homme qui se rendait dans en brousse pour y chercher des fruits.

L’auteur de l’effroyable découverte a aussitôt rebroussé chemin pour aller alerter les autorités judiciaires. Dès la première alerte, l’antenne provinciale de la Police judiciaire (PJ) et la brigade de gendarmerie se sont transportées sur les lieux. Les agents n’ont fait que constater la présence macabre.

Le corps était en décubitus ventral, trempé dans une flaque d’eau non profonde. Lorsque le macchabée a été repêché, les enquêteurs ont découvert des signes de mutilation. Selon une source proche de l’enquête, l’adolescent aurait été délesté de certaines parties corporelles, à savoir les oreilles, la langue, les yeux, le sexe, etc.

Le corps de l’adolescent a été jeté dans une flaque d’eau pour simuler une noyade (la photo du corps a été jugée trop terrible pour inclure ici, mais  – AVERTISSEMENT – elle se trouve dans l’article original – FVDK).

Vraisemblablement, il a été supplicié lors d’un rituel satanique. D’après une source médicale, le corps présentait de traces de violence jusqu’à la partie anale. Ce qui crédibilise la thèse d’un viol satanique, avant sa douloureuse mise à mort par ses bourreaux.

A en croire nos sources, la découverte du corps du petit Raven Diba a été précédée d’intenses recherches menées par ses parents et les autorités judiciaires locales. Tous les espaces avaient été ratissés, fors le bois théâtre de la macabre découverte. Mais les enquêteurs se perdaient sur les traces du petit garçon.

Les assassinats avec prélèvement d’organes sont souvent commandités par des cadres du coin 

Devant ce qui apparaissait comme un mystère, a rapporté une source, la famille du petit Diba a mis à contribution des voyants qui font la réputation de la région. Ces sommités spirituelles avaient révélé que l’enfant était gardé en captivité dans une maison d’un riverain, en attendant sa mise à mort programmée.

A la suite de ces révélations, les proches du disparu ont proposé la fouille de toutes les maisons environnantes. Mais un auxiliaire de l’administration, visiblement gêné aux entournures, s’y est farouchement opposé. « Le chef du quartier s’est curieusement opposé à cette option. Or, on pouvait sauver cet enfant si on avait fouillé toutes les maisons du quartier », a déploré une source proche du dossier.

C’est probablement après le scabreux sacrifice humain que le corps de la victime a été jeté dans une flaque d’eau située dans une forêt environnante pour simuler une mort accidentelle. Mais cette thèse ne semble pas convaincre la famille de l’adolescent et les enquêteurs, le cours d’eau théâtre de la macabre découverte n’étant pas profond. Il s’agit manifestement d’un sac d’embrouilles.

Koula-Moutou et d’autres localités de l’Ogooué-Lolo sont des terreaux des assassinats avec prélèvement d’organes, pompeusement appelés crimes rituels. Les cadres de la localité, en quête de promotion politique ou de maintien à des postes juteux, passent souvent des commandes d’organes depuis leurs bureaux feutrés. Malgré les dénonciations faites par des lampistes, les commanditaires de ces crimes effroyables ne sont jamais inquiétés par la justice.

Source: Gabon: un adolescent sacrifié à Koula-Moutou

Koulamoutou (or Koula-Moutou) is the capital of Ogooué-Lolo Province in central Gabon, with a population of around 16,000 people.

Two jailed in Gabon over gruesome occult sacrifice

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As I stated earlier on this site (see my August 16, 2018 post), Gabon has a very bad reputation as ritual murders is concerned. Unlike in many other African countries, in Gabon there exists a very active grassroots organization fighting these ritualistic murders and the impunity that shields perpetrators and those who command these atrocious, criminal acts, from justice. The organization is called the Association for Fighting Ritualistic Crimes (ALCR). Its president, Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo, recently said that his organization estimates that at least 50 ritualistic crimes, in a population of less than two million, occur each year. This means that on average every week a person is ritually murdered in this West African country.  More on the good work of the ALCR in upcoming posts. 

This week a positive report emerged. Two men were found guilty of a ritualistic crime committed in 2012 and sentenced to jail. One murderer received a life sentence, while his accomplice was will have to spend 12 years in prison. However, the ALCR in its reaction said that “the people who sponsored the murder have still not been arrested.” Read everything on this case in the article reproduced below. (webmaster FVDK)

Two jailed in Gabon over gruesome occult sacrifice

Published: January 11, 2019 – 20:54 GMT 
Updated: January, 12 2019 – 17:44 GMT
By: Daily Mail Co UK / AFP

Two men have been arrested and jailed in Gabon for gunning down another man and slicing off his tongue, fingers and toes in a gruesome occult sacrifice

A court in Gabon has jailed two men accused of sacrificing a man and cutting out his organs for black magic rituals, press reports and campaigners said Friday.

Henry Bengone B’Evouna received a life sentence for gunning down Achille Obiang Ndong, while his accomplice, Gerard Mba Eyime, was jailed for 12 years for slicing off the victim’s tongue, fingers and toes, l’Union newspaper said.

The sentences were passed on Tuesday by an appeals court in Oyem in the north of the west African country.

Bengone B’Evouna had struck a deal “with a former local dignitary to provide human organs in exchange for the sum of 800,000 CFA francs,” about $1,400 or 1,200 euros, l’Union reported.

Both men admitted guilt for the crime committed in 2012, it said.

An advocacy group, the Association for Fighting Ritualistic Crimes (ALCR), which said it was providing support for the victim’s family, said “the people who sponsored” the murder “have still not been arrested.”

In Gabon and other parts of West Africa, organs are used as fetishes in magic rituals, “and often are taken from people while they are still alive,” said the organisation’s president, Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo.

“Often, there is no prosecution for crimes of ritual killings,” he said.

“Behind them, there’s a whole network of sponsors — politicians and powerful businessmen, marabouts [witch doctors], people called ‘nganga’ who act as spotters and often are schoolchildren or close relatives, and those who carry out the killing.”

Dread of kidnapping for organ removal is common.

Ebang Ondo said his organisation estimated that at least 50 ritualistic crimes, in a population of less than two million, occurred each year.

Source: Two jailed in Gabon over gruesome occult sacrifice

Related article: Two jailed in Gabon over gruesome occult sacrifice
Source: Brinkwire, dated January 13, 2019