Shocking reality of ritual killing in Nigeria

BY IFEOLUWA NAOMI AYANDIJI

The rising cases of ritual killing in Nigeria have become unbearable. These killings have left the whole country in shock, terrified and leaving many afraid of what is to come next. The countrywide increase in kidnapping, as well as ritual killings, has grown rapidly over the past years and most Nigerians are seeing this issue as nothing but an unsophisticated matter and tend not to be surprised by the lack of actions that follow.

One important question we should ask ourselves is: where lies the future for the younger generation if such vicious and cruel acts are to be viewed as an acceptable norm? It is quite known that Nigerians cannot seem to identify the reasons why ritual killings have been more persistent ironically in this 21st century. Some believe that it is the desperation for wealth, protection (spiritual defence), power, and cultural influence. The loss of innocent lives as a consequence of ritual killing is leaving a stain on Nigeria’s image in the international community.

The dreadful killing of Miss Oluwabamise Ayanwole on February 26 2022 has left a very bitter taste in the mouths of many around the world. The 22-year-old fashion designer who boarded a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Ajah, Lagos State around 7 p.m. after work was heading to her older brother’s place at Ota, Ogun State in south-west Nigeria for the weekend. She was last heard of a few minutes later, after sensing danger on the bus as the driver did not stop to pick up other passengers along the route she plied on that fateful day. Reports said she grew concerned and contacted one of her friends through WhatsApp, sending the friend videos, pictures, and voice notes of the strange situation. Having not heard from Oluwabamise as expected, her family went to the Makinde Police Station in Oshodi, Lagos the next day to make a formal complaint, especially as the bus she boarded from Ajah was terminating at Oshodi, from where she would connect another bus heading to her final destination in Ota. But the policemen at the station were not forthcoming on the incident, despite the family’s grave concern. In fact, it seemed that they were just waiting to brush this incident under the carpet, just like the rest of the backlog cases that were never solved.

The intense search for Oluwabamise, resulting from public outcry, led the Police to the prime suspect, Andrew Omininikoron Nice, the bus driver who ran away immediately after the incident. Nice later claimed upon being interrogated that he was held at gunpoint when asked why he didn’t try to help the victim when she was being dragged out of the bus but was found suspicious when he couldn’t give a good reason why he ran away instead of coming to report the incident. The victim’s corpse was found on 7 March 2022 on the Carter Bridge at Ebute Ero on Lagos Island with her private part allegedly missing. It was said that her older brother identified her body.

The BRT managers pride themselves on providing the fastest, most comfortable, and safest means of transportation. However, this incident shows that the company is rather very careless and does not seem to have control over how its drivers perform their operations. This has made Nigerians more scared as one of the safest modes of transportation is now unsafe and at risk of putting anyone’s life in danger because of the negligence of BRT managers.

The inability of the Police to solve crimes, illiteracy, and always sweeping tragic incidents like this
under the carpet would ultimately lead to more ritual killings, kidnapping, violence, and a lot of
unsolved murders. Already, ignorance, lack of adequate punishment system, poverty, and
unemployment can all be considered huge risk factors when we are talking about ritual killings.

It is disturbing how the government and Police personnel show little or no effort to solve such cruel acts that are beginning to look like a trend in Nigeria. The alarming rate at which these barbaric incidents occur is also indicative of a rapid increase in the number of cases involving missing persons over the past years. The majority of those who disappeared without any trace is often speculated to be victims of ritual killings.

If equal opportunities are being presented to all Nigerians to earn an income, there will be a great reduction in ritual killings and other criminal activities in society. Another way to decrease ritual killing is that the government should be quick to intervene when issues like this come up and prosecute the arrested culprits. There should be firm prison sentences on those caught in the despicable act before they constitute a menace to the society as this would discourage those thinking about going into ritual killings.

Another way to curb the increase is for the people using public transport to make phone calls to family members to disclose their whereabouts and also pass across any suspicious information they see happening around them. In addition, there should be conscious programmes to educate the people on safety measures on what to do when they are being kidnapped or feel a sense of danger. Also, people should be conscious of their environment and avoid staying in isolated places where they could be easily abducted without being noticed.

I believe that Nigeria can get to a place where the safety of everyone can be assured. But, more importantly, the individuals also have a very crucial to play in ensuring adequate safety in the country.

Ayandiji is a 100 level student at the Department of Criminal Justice, University of Texas, Arlington, USA