Imo State, Nigeria: ritualists killed pregnant woman, dumped corpse in the bush 

A few days ago I posted a message on the daily occurrence of ritualistic murders in Nigeria, with an estimated population of 225 million people Africa’s most populated country. Below I present a recent case from Imo State.

It is not he first time people in Imo State are confronted with these heinous crimes. In January 2023 villagers in Arondizuogu took to the streets following a number of unexplained murders, presumably linked to politics, hence suspected to be carried out for ritual purposes.

Imo State is located in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordering Anambra State in the north, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east.  The Federal Republic of Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones commonly called zones.

Imo State is Nigeria’s 16th most populous state with an estimated population of over 6 million (2024). With a surface area of 5,530 km2 it is  the third smallest state. The state capital is Owerri. 
(FVDK)

Ritualists killed pregnant woman, dumped corpse in the bush 

Published: May 29, 2024
By: Stories from Everest Ezihe,  Owerri/Imo State

Exhibiting serious act of wickedness, residents around the  Amaraku-Umudim road in Isiala  Mbano local Government Area, Imo State were startled as they woke up on Tuesday with the ugly sight of a decomposing body of a yet-to-be-identified woman found in the bush within the area.

The deceased was allegedly seen to be victim of ritual killing.

An eyewitness (names withheld) told The AUTHORITY that the persistent barking of a dog within the vicinity prompted some residents to enter the bush and made the eye sour discovery.

The commotion that followed the discovery triggered an upsurge of sympathizers  who also noticed  that the deceased was pregnant and and had her breasts and private parts chopped-off.

This prompted the sympathisers to rush to the Amaraku Police Station and reported the incident.

Thee Police Division consequently removes the corpse to nearby government hospital for autopsy and identification.

When contacted, the Imo State Police Command’s Spokesman, ASP Henry Okoye, said he had yet to be briefed on the matter.

Source: Ritualists killed pregnant woman, dumped corpse in the bush 

28-yr-old man in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, kills pregnant woman for N50,000 for ritual purposes (2016 article)

While working through old files of ritualistic murder cases I came across this article (below) reporting that – way back in 2016 – a 28-year-old man revealed to the Akwa Ibom State Police Command on how he was hired by a village council leader in Itu Local Government Area to kill a pregnant woman for ritual purposes.

For completeness sake (will I ever realize a complete overview of ritual murders in Nigeria? – I seriously doubt it), I am sharing it here, also to demonstrate that yesterday’s posting wasn’t about an isolated case. Akwa Ibom State, currently the highest oil- and gas-producing state in Nigeria, is a small but densely populated state, with a land area of 7081 km² and a population of over 5 million (webmaster FVDK).

28-yr-old man kills pregnant woman for N50,000

Published: January 14, 2016
By: Vanguard Nigeria – Tom Moses and Chioma Onuegbu

UYO—A 28-year-old man, Edet Stephen Asuquo, yesterday, made revealing statements to the Akwa Ibom State Police Command on how he was hired by a village council leader in Itu Local Government Area to kill a pregnant woman for ritual purposes.

Vanguard gathered that the suspect was arrested by the police on January 11 through the combined efforts of his brother and sister (names withheld) who reported the matter to the police, and the body was found by the police on a plantain farm.

Parading the suspect yesterday at the Akwa Ibom State Police Headquarters, Ikot-Akpanabia, Uyo, state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Cordelia Nwawe, said the suspect who was the victim’s customer, lured her to the market to buy oysters, later took her home to buy more, then killed and hid her body, hoping to harvest the foetus for rituals.

Nwawe said the suspect’s sister, who witnessed the act, reported to her elder brother who later alerted the police.

Suspect’s story

The suspect, Asuquo, told newsmen: “What brought me to the police station is because of the job given to us by a village council chairman. “He paid five of us to kill a pregnant woman so her head and her unborn child would be used for charms. “He said after we have carried out the job, he will give us N50,000 each. He did not give us any advance payment. After we had done the job, my brother became angry. “He said that this is not the kind of job I should have gotten myself involved in. He called my other senior and reported the matter to him.”

Source: 28-yr-old man kills pregnant woman for N50,000