The following article contains a cry for justice, a cry for freedom from fear, and a plea for an end to the cruel practices of ritualistic murders and associated organ harvesting that kill people in Nigeria on a daily basis. The author of the original article, Fatima Abba Sanda, works at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri, in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State.
‘The government of president Tinubu must act!’ (webmaster FVDK)
Govt Must Act Against Ritual Killings, Organ Harvesting
The end-of-year period in Nigeria is a time everyone looks forward to as a holiday; it is also one of the most dangerous times as…
Publsihed: January 7, 2024 By: Fatima Abba Sanda – Daily Trust, Nigeria
The end-of-year period in Nigeria is a time everyone looks forward to as a holiday; it is also one of the most dangerous times as disturbing activities in the forms of ritual killings and human organ harvesting become the biggest issues Nigerians have to face. Every day numerous lives are lost to these terrible circumstances, and it saddens the heart to know that there is little or nothing done to salvage this issue.
Travellers are always threatened as our highways are death traps. If it is not armed robbers, it is terrorists, and if it is not terrorists, it is kidnappers and ritualists. Even with the presence of police at checkpoints on these highways, these occurrences have sadly become the news headlines almost every day.
This is a time when consistently if you check the news it’s always about corpses found in one ditch or the other, or it is corpses missing in the mortuary. You can’t help but wonder where it all went wrong and what the authorities are doing to curb this menace.
Nigeria has been plagued with this devilish and unholy act of people or groups of people who kidnap and slaughter human beings in cold blood, and to top it all on this barbaric behavior, they still go ahead and dissect these persons like animals.
Sometimes you wonder if these people don’t have an ounce of sympathy or humanity. The urge to get rich quickly in Nigeria has left some of its youths to go into such a criminal lifestyle and kidnapping people just for the sole purpose of harvesting their internal and genital organs just to sell to the highest bidder or for ritual.
Recently, there was a video circulating on the internet of some men killing and slaughtering people like animals and removing their organs. The lack of fear and the pride they had in displaying those barbaric acts while chanting songs praising each other was so disturbing. You can only wonder how these people are never traced and given the full wrath of the law. In this video, it was clearly shown how almost four fully grown adults were cut.
Enough is enough!
Fatima Abba Sanda wrote from the Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri, Borno State
The burial of a 22 year old woman of Chingola who had been brutally murdered in her home by suspected ritual killers was characterised by confrontation between police and mourners.
The mourners conducted a procession demanding change of government, justice and increased police action to protect the community from suspected ritual murderers.
On 29th December 2019, a 22 year old woman of Chingola was brutally raped and murdered in her home by suspected ritual killers in an attack which left 6 other members of her family with serious machete wounds.
Many Chingola residents are now living in fear because of the increase of such attacks in Chingola.
The Cherubim and Seraphim Unification Church of Nigeria, the umbrella body of C and S churches worldwide has denied media reports that one “Prophet” Segun Philips who was accused of killing one Miss Favour Daley for ritual purposes is a member of the church.
DAILY POST had reported that the Ogun State Police Command arrested a 23-year-old man, Adeeko Owolabi, for allegedly killing his girlfriend, Favour Daley-Oladele – a final-year Sociology student of Lagos State University, LASU.
But, the Church in a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Apostle M. O. Adeyemi said there is no record where Segun Philips is associated with the C & S and officers of the church in Irewole/Isokan Local Government Area of Osun State where he committed the heinous crime.
The church denied knowledge of Segun Philips as a member of the Holy Order.
Adeyemi in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Tuesday said, “We have contacted all our officers in the Zone and they said they did not know him or his church. Besides, our Youth Fellowship went as far as locating his church and came with the reports (including photographs) of not seeing any signpost or imprint of C & S in his place of worship.
“We wonder why the Press hurriedly tagged him a “C & S Prophet”. We are not unmindful of the fact that many charlatans hide under the Freedom of Association as guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution to set up places of worship for different purposes. Some of them adopt white garments and mimick our mode of worship even when they are not registered or under the episcopal authourity of the leadership of the C & S.
“We appeal to the members of the Press to always ascertain the true identity of some fake Pastors and Prophets wearing white garments to deceive unsuspecting members of the public for pecuniary gains.
“It is rather unfortunate that anybody calling himself a Christian could be that devilish and kill a fellow human being for money-making ritual. The C & S Church is a Bible-believing Church that strongly believes in the sacredness of the blood of Jesus and frowns at any blood-letting rituals. ”
“The C & S Unification Church of Nigeria strongly condemns the act and urged the law enforcement officers to fish out the ilks of Philips before killing more unsuspecting Nigerians.
“The Church also commiserate with the family of the young undergraduate and the entire Lagos State University (LASU) community”.
Man in police net for killing girlfriend for rituals Published: December 29, 2019 By: Ishola Oludare
The police in Ogun State have arrested a 23-year-old man, Adeeko Owolabi, for allegedly killing his girlfriend, Favour Daley-Oladele – a final-year Sociology student of Lagos State University, LASU.
The suspect, police said, was arrested together with a 42-year-old self acclaimed Pastor of a white garment church, Segun Philip, who, it was learnt, requested for the deceased’s heart.
The deceased was reported to have left home to an unknown destination since December 8, 2019 and has not been seen since then, hence, she was reported missing by her parents at Mowe Police Station.
In a statement on Sunday, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, explained that, upon the report, the DPO Mowe division, SP Marvis Jayeola detailed his crack detectives to unravel the mystery behind the sudden disappearance of the 22 year old girl.
Oyeyemi disclosed that, “the detectives went into full scale technical and forensic investigation of the case and their efforts paid off, when the movement of the deceased was traced to a white garment church in far away Ikoyi-Ile in Osun State, being pastored by one Segun Philip.”
The PPRO explained that, “on getting to the church, the self-acclaimed pastor was promptly arrested, but he was quick to inform the detectives that the girl was brought to him by her boyfriend, Adeeko Owolabi, who was still within the vicinity of the church.
“The said boyfriend was traced and apprehended immediately.
“On interrogation, Adeeko Owolabi confessed to the police that the deceased was his girlfriend and that he lured her to Ikoyi-Ile where he had perfected plans with the so-called pastor Segun Philip to use her for money making ritual.
“He stated further that while the girl was sleeping, the pastor gave him a pestle with which he used to smash the head of the girl and the pastor quickly used a knife to cut off her neck, ripped-opened her chest and removed her heart, which he used in preparing a concoction for him and his mother to eat.
“When asked what pushed him to such devilish act, Owolabi explained that he decided to go into money ritual because things are not going well with his parents economically most especially his mother who used to be the breadwinner of the family.
“He added that when he sought for assistance from the pastor, he was asked to bring a human being for that purpose and the available person at that time was his girlfriend.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Kenneth Ebrimson, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the Homicide Section of the State criminal investigation and intelligence department for proper investigation.
The CP, who described the gruesome murder of the deceased as superlative degree of wickedness, vowed to ensure that all the suspects faced the full wrath of the law.
A large number of students of the Lagos State University (LASU) came out on Monday for the candlelight in honour of their slain colleague, Favour Sewanu Daley-Oladele.
A large number of students of the Lagos State University (LASU) came out on Monday for the candlelight in honour of their slain colleague, Favour Sewanu Daley-Oladele.
The 22-year-old final year student was lured by his 23-year-old boyfriend, Adeeko Owolabi to a Cherubim & Seraphim Church at Ikoyi-Ile in Osun State where she was murdered and part of her organs were removed for a ‘get-rich-quick’ money-making concoction.
A LASU student, Dele Alli had earlier urged fellow students via his twitter handle to turn out for the candlelight.
Also, a hashtag, #justiceForFavour has been created to seek justice for the slain thespian.
The mourning students, decked in black attires, converged on the Department of Theatre Arts and Music to honour their departed colleague.
From there, they moved round the campus, singing in a dirge.
Some of them were in tears.
They called on LASU authorities and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as well as Inspector-General of Police to ensure speedy trial of the perpetrators.
While that was ongoing, other students and social media users took to Twitter to condemn the act.
They warned the government not to sweep the matter under the carpet.
Ponle Olafimihan said: “Now the perpetrators are boasting that they’ll soon be released by the police. These cannibals shouldn’t go unpunished.”
OMO BABA said a case like this should be dealt with seriously.
“How can you murder a human being like you in cold blood,” he wondered.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Southwest (Zone D) promised to follow the matter to a logical conclusion and “update the general public on our actions and findings in due time.”
A tweet by its Coordinator, Comrade Kappo Samuel Olawale said an injury to one is an injury to all!
“We will not keep quiet in this case of pure cruelty. The culprits must be brought to book and made to face the wrath of the law. We will stand till the very end to ensure justice is gotten for Favour,” Olawale said.
Ganiu Oloruntade said the gruesome murder of this young lady must not be swept under the carpet.
Modupe Ademola pleaded with you all LASU management and Governor Sanwo-Olu to ensure justice for Favour takes place.
A group, LASU PRs & Influencers said: “The federation who understands the importance of life and justice should use their position to demand justice for Favour. Favour was said to be pregnant at the time of this incident. Please Let’s fight for #JusticeForFavour and spread the news.”
Gracie’s Goddess said she and the late Miss Daley-Oladele wrote senior West African Examination Council (WAEC) in the same school.
“Favour when I saw it, I didn’t believe it was you till I saw your name we wrote senior WAEC in the same secondary school. I just pray those individuals involved get punished,” she wrote on Twitter.
A social media influencer @RUCCIFIED wrote: “This life is already sad and hard; why then make it sadder and harder for another family at this time?
“How much fearless could one be that gives you gut to behead a fellow human, disembark the body parts, beat to a mortal and then feed on it?
“We truly hope that the @LASUOfficial together with the @lagosstategov and other states and federal law agencies against brutality and evil practices as such above would lend a voice and take action to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.”
Map of Lagos State showing the 20 Local Government Areas
