₦airaland Forum

Tope Omogbolagun



TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN examines the recurring killing of women and girls for money rituals in different parts of the country, the panic it has created and the solutions to the menace

The atmosphere at the home of Bamise Ayanwole, the slain female passenger of a BRT bus in Lagos, has been engulfed in grief for the past few days. Her Ipaja–Ayobo home has received more sympathisers than imagined since the incident.

The 22-year old fashion designer got missing in transit after boarding a BRT bus with number 240257 from Chevron Bus Stop at Lekki en route to Oshodi. Time was about 7pm. She was heading to Idimu, but she never made it to her destination, only her remains were later found by the roadside.

Her family, especially her elderly parents, has since been thrown into mourning.

Her 70-year-old mother, Comfort, who had become inconsolable and thoroughly exhausted, said when she celebrated her birthday days ago, Bamise promised her a new dress as birthday gift but news of her death was what she got instead.

“She was taking some clothes to her elder sister who put to bed but she never got there,” she said. “The evidence which has gone viral should be enough to prosecute the suspect. The driver lied that kidnappers pointed a gun at him and dragged our daughter out of his BRT bus while he was in transit.

“Kidnappers pointed a gun at him, dragged his passenger out of a bus in transit and he did not go to the police station to report, it is a lie.”

The story of Bamise, the youngest of 10 children, went viral after her friends shared the voice notes she hurriedly recorded when she sensed danger in the BRT bus.

Bamise, whose courage and smartness eventually gave a clue about what happened, said in the voice note that the driver, now identified as Nice (Andrew) Omininikoron, switched off the inner light and refused to pick another passenger after he picked her at Chevron Bus Stop.

She also managed to make a short video showing the silhouette of the driver and what looked like the vehicle number. This turned out to be the last communication from her until her corpse was later found on the Carter Bridge by Ogogoro Community, Ebute Ero, Lagos Island.

Clearly, the father of the deceased, Joseph, an 84-year-old pastor, has also yet to recover from the shock. “It’s hard to believe my daughter is no more,” he mumbled to himself. “I want God to help me get justice.”

Amid the widespread incidence of ritual killings, with more females as victims, there were already unverified reports that her private parts were missing when her corpse was found.

The distraught father said, “The government says it will perform an autopsy on the body; we are still waiting for the result.”

Bamise’s sister, Oluwadamilola, told Sunday PUNCH, “The picture of her corpse was gory; it shouldn’t be shared. She was taken to the morgue on Sunday but the police found out about her death Saturday night.

“When the police got there, she was not on panties; she was naked. They left only her top. Some of her body parts were tampered with and were missing. They are still investigating; we believe the autopsy will soon be ready.”

Sadly, the way Bamise was killed and her body parts allegedly mutilated is no longer an isolated case in today’s Nigeria; ritual killing has become a commonplace, and from reports, women seem to have been the usual victims.

The social media has indeed witnessed several hashtags for women who have been so gruesomely murdered. From #JusticeforUmuoren to #JusticeforOchanya, #JusticeforUwa #JusticeforSofiat and most recently #JusticeforBamise.

As the world celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, 2022, women in Nigeria converged on different locations to demand justice for Bamise. It wasn’t the first of its kind; the number of women killed and mutilated has become a national concern, prompting the House of Representatives to also call for an end to the menace.

Meanwhile, according to the World Economic Forum, six women are killed every hour by men around the world.

To lend credence to the upsurge in killing of women for rituals, the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta said in February that findings showed that about 150 women and girls were killed for ritual purposes between January 2018 and December 2021. The foundation tied this to the rising demand for body parts for the purpose of making money.

Before the sad news of Bamise went viral, the family of Sofiat Kehinde was on January 29 thrown into mourning, one that they may not recover from quickly.

Kehinde, a 20-year-old lady, was said to have gone to see her boyfriend when she met her death. She had separated from her ex-boyfriend, Balogun Mustaqeem, after her family members told her to cut ties with him. Unknown to them, she had started dating a friend to her ex, identified as Soliu Majekodunmi.

Kehinde was killed and beheaded by four teenagers, including her boyfriend, Soliu, 18; and the ex, Mustaqeem, 20. The two others were Wariz Oladehinde, 18; and Abdulgafar Lukman, 19. They conspired to kill her and severed her head in Majekodunmi’s room and burnt it severely.

According to the data released by the United Nations, more than half of women and girls killed by men were murdered by their current or previous partners.

The sister of the deceased, Muinat Okeowo, said Kehinde had gone to see her lover after the close of work, but they never knew the evil that awaited her. She never returned.

Okeowo said, “Sofiat was cooking the beans we were to eat that night when she said she wanted to go out. Time was around 7pm. She always returned home early whenever she went out. Around 8:30pm, I called her on the phone and she said she was on her way. I observed that she spoke in a low voice and I even teased her that she was twisting her voice.”

Okeowo said when she called her mobile line again, it was switched off, and then she went to sleep only to wake up the the next day without seeing her in the house.

“I asked my mother for her whereabouts and she replied that she had not seen her,” she added.

The next news they got was that she was killed by the four teenagers, including her boyfriend and ex-boyfriend.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State police command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the teenagers were caught and arrested with the deceased’s severed, half-burnt skull in a mud pot and her remains already packed in a sack, ostensibly to be thrown away.

He added that the suspects upon interrogation confessed that the human skull they burnt belonged to Majekodunmi’s girlfriend, Kehinde.


Women as targets of ritual killers, others

According to the Co-founder of Femicide Census, Karen Smith, violence against women was a leading cause of women’s premature death globally.

Sadly, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime revealed that Africa has the highest rate of women and girls killed by an intimate partner or a family member.

It is noteworthy that as killings have been on the increase, both male and females have been victims. However, women seem to have become more victims, as ritual killers hunting for body parts and rapists seem to be on the prowl.

The report by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta noted, “Recent incidents also indicate an upsurge in targeted killings of women and girls for ritual purposes in the region, particularly in Cross River, Delta and Imo states.

“In January 2022, for example, more than 10 girls were reportedly killed for rituals in Ogoja town, Cross River state. The growing prevalence of targeted killings of women and girls for rituals is a serious threat to human security.

“The prevailing situation, which is seemingly driven by a growing demand for human body parts for money-making, occult rituals, has the potential to reinforce harmful cultural beliefs and practices that could endanger the safety and security of women and girls.”

It is however disturbing that rape and ritual killing have become a cycle, which explains why new reports emerge almost every day.

In Edo State for example, on Christmas Eve in 2021, a 29-year old teacher, Elohor Oniorosa, was murdered by her boyfriend, David Osaretin, a truck driver.

Oniorosa, according to her mother, Comfort, left the house immediately after receiving David’s call that he was sick. Not knowing it was a trap, she innocently walked into her death.

Comfort said, “My daughter left the house for her boyfriend’s place thinking his illness would have worsened. When he called, she didn’t even brush her teeth.”

The father of the deceased, Williams, said it was when they couldn’t reach her that they decided to visit Osaretin’s house.

He said, “When we got there, the landlord just pushed the door open and all we saw was my daughter lying in the pool of blood. She was found dead with deep machete cuts on some parts of her body. The bedspread, the walls and everywhere was stained with blood.”

Similarly, in September, the body of a yet-to-be-identified female teenager was found dismembered in Unuebu Aragba, Obiaruku community, Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State. It was another suspected case of killing for money ritual.

A community leader in the area, Dr Peter Esegbue, said, “The young girl was murdered, dismembered and possibly used for rituals by evil men who will never know peace. As I speak, this incident is causing tension and hostility in Ukwuani land between Amai and Obiaruku-Umuebu, as an Okada rider was reportedly abducted as well in the wake of the murder of this young girl.”

The list of women and girls killed for rituals seems to be endless.

The story of a 22-year-old student of the University of Benin, Uwa Omozuwa, equally killed in very disturbing circumstances is hard to forget. Before she was killed, her attackers raped her. The incident took place on May 27, 2020.

Uwa was killed while reading inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God church at Osa Amadasun Ikpoba Hill, Benin City. Her sister, Judith, said she had been reading there for more than two years before the incident.

Meanwhile, beside her corpse was a fire extinguisher with traces that she had been battered. Similarly, her books were scattered and her glasses were by the door.

The Edo State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Prof Yinka Omorogbe, affirmed that the autopsy revealed that Uwa was a virgin before she was raped and killed. She also dismissed false reports in the social media that Uwa was impregnated by her pastor.

“We were all terribly shocked to see what happened to Uwa. It was terrible; it was a brutal experience,” she said.

Omorogbe noted that rape could be totally eradicated from the society if the criminals are served with the judgement that is commensurate with the offence.

Like many before and after her, Toyin Adewale was in June 2021 killed for ritual purposes by her boyfriend, Kabiru Oyeduntan, alongside one Akin, a herbalist, in Osun State.

Toyin’s case was particularly disturbing. Oyeduntan, when paraded before journalists, explained that he was the one who held the victim’s legs while Akin strangled her and went ahead to dismember her and then parked the body parts in a box.

Beyond ritual killings, rapists also on the prowl

Beyond killing for rituals, however, many women and girls have also been raped and killed.

On April 13, 58-year-old Doris Inyang was raped and killed in her home by a four-man gang who connived with her househelp. The incident took place at the State Housing Estate in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

The popular story of how Iniubong Umoren, a job seeker, was allegedly raped and killed by one Uduak Akpan, has yet to disappear from the minds of those who were privy to the story. Although there was no link to ritual purpose, their death was linked to gender-based violence.

Also, 13-year-old Ochanya Ogbanje, a schoolgirl, was raped and later died from rape-related complications. Her uncle and nephew were fingered in the crime.


The escalating attacks against women

While many Nigerians and even foreigners who took interest in Bamise’s story have yet to overcome the grief that accompanied her death, a female victim has also accused Nice, the accused BRT bus driver, of raping her in his bus after threatening her with a knife if she didn’t cooperate.

She told The PUNCH in an exclusive interview on Thursday that he raped her around the first toll gate coming from Ajah, Lagos. She presented the evidence of the N3,000 Nice forcefully transferred to her account for violating her.

A few days ago, a former Big Brother Naija housemate, Khloe, narrated how she escaped being attacked by a driver with one of the popular ride-hailing service providers.

Many women who spoke to Sunday PUNCH over the alarming rate of rape, killings and kidnapping of women in the country called for a quick solution.

A civil servant, Miss Opeyemi Adeoye, said the abduction of Bamise reminded her of Umoren and how the country had betrayed its citizens, especially women and girls.

An Ibadan-based banker, Ifeoma Duru, also lamented that women were no longer safe. “We must commend her bravery, it’s becoming scary by the day,” she added.

An Ilorin-based entrepreneur, Toyosi Oyedun, also expressed her fears, saying no one seemed to be safe. “I pray the Lord will continue to protect us,” she added.

Similarly, a Sokoto-based teacher, Mrs Fausat Tukur, expressed her worries, saying, “It’s so sad that we are in such a terrible situation where women’s safety is threatened. We have heard of deaths in religious centres, schools, homes, commercial buses and now BRT. All of these make it so scary to move about as a woman.”

Ritual killing, a national concern

Worried by the ugly trend and the uproar that surrounded Bamise’s death, the House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.

The Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, moved the motion titled ‘Rampant Cases of Violence, Incessant Rape and Ritual Killing of our Women Folks: A Call for Urgent Intervention.’ He noted that the trend was becoming alarming and worrisome as he called for urgent response to address the menace.

Elumelu said, “The House notes with serious concerns the rising cases of violence, incessant rape and ritual killing of female Nigerians by criminally-minded persons in various parts of the country.

“The House is further disturbed that many of these cases are under-reported because of the stigma attached to such incidents and the molestation attached to it by security agents when such reports are made.

“The House is worried that according to the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme, approximately 80 million Nigerian women and girls are victims of gender-based violence, which in turn fosters the spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, lack of self-confidence of victims and in most recent cases, death.”

The lawmakers urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the issue.

Also, the Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Toby Okechukwu, lamented that ritual killings had taken a new dimension in recent times.

He said, “There’s an upsurge of reported ritual killings with increasing cases of abductions and missing persons in different parts of the country, which in most cases, the culprits also rape, maim, kill and obtain sensitive body parts of unsuspecting victims for rituals.”

He lamented that despite the rising number of churches and mosques, ritual killing seems to be on the increase given the way the quest for wealth pervade the society.

“Youths in other climes are embracing science and technology as a way of maintaining pace with our dynamic world while some of our youths seem stuck in the mistaken belief that sacrificing human blood is the surest route to wealth, safety and protection.

“Such cruel and barbaric acts should no longer be promoted in our society given the demands of today’s world.”

It is noteworthy that beyond being killed for money ritual, women have also been victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East and the banditry-turned-terrorism in the North-West And some parts of North-Central.

Many women and girls, including schoolchildren, have been serially kidnapped by the insurgents, and some of them have been converted as sex slaves while some were forcefully taken as wives.

Since 2014 when 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Chibok, Borno State, no fewer than 100 of them are still in captivity. In 2018, 110 schoolgirls were also kidnapped from Dapchi in Yobe State, with one girl, Leah Sharibu, still in captivity. After these, many more have been abducted.

Even though men and boys have also been victims of killings and kidnappings, women and girls seem to be more endangered.

In search of lasting solutions

A security expert, John Eweliku, said the government needed to do more and that people should also use the technology at their disposal to ensure their safety.

He said, “The BRT bus used to be the best choice for those living in Lagos and I believe that must have been the reason why the late Bamise boarded it instead of jumping from one bus to the other.

“Also, people need to be very conscious and not be secretive about their movement.”

People should also learn to make use of social media when in danger. The government should also enact strict punitive legislation, like death penalty for ritual killers to dissuade others from doing same.”

Another security expert, Mr Pedro Ayandokun, advised that women travelling alone should take greater precautions and ask questions about the area they want to visit.

Supporting Ayandokun’s view, another security expert, Mr Patrick Agbamu, said people need to be more security conscious.

A psychologist, Charles Ojiakor, said there was no reason why a woman’s body would be the target of ritual killings other than the fact that she could be more vulnerable.

He said, “There is no reason for you to take anybody’s part for money rituals, it does not make sense. Perhaps, women are targeted because they are more vulnerable and do not have the physical strength to resist their oppressors, so it is easy to overpower them.

“Also, it seems the perpetrators often get requests for specific body parts from their Babalawo or whatever it is they call the people that aid them in the money ritual process.”

Meanwhile, a renowned economist, Prof Akpan Ekpo, said there was a strong link between the economic hardship in the country and the spike in ritual killings.

He said, “People have no jobs which is a sad reality and therefore, some are forced into crimes, like ritual killing. There is this belief that there is money ritual and people who do it believe that human parts help.

When asked for solutions, Ekpo said the unemployment crisis must be addressed so people could be meaningfully engaged.

He added, “The way to stop it is to increase the employment rate and one of the ways to do that is by tackling the issue of power so that micro and small businesses can survive. Some of these people have been heard saying they considered money rituals when their business ventures failed.”

A traditional religious worshipper and Jagunmolu Awo Agbaye, Chief Fayemi Fakayose, said Yoruba spiritualists believe there is nothing like killing for money ritual.

He said, “The concept of ritual killing is just like a fabrication that people are trying to practicalise, like what Nollywood actors and actresses showcase and the fallacious story about Yoruba spirituality promoted all over the place.

“Most of the people that were arrested have never been to a Babalawo before.”

Some teenagers arrested for ritual in Ogun
“He said, “A Babalawo is a traditional worshipper, a religious leader, a Yoruba spiritualist like when you say a pastor or an Imam.”

When asked why women were becoming victims, he said, “I don’t believe it is only females because they have been killing males too. They have killed many men.

“I believe they are killing women because women won’t be able to struggle with them to the extent of overpowering them, so they are taking advantage of them.”

“There is nothing that relates to traditional worshippers that requires bringing body parts of a woman for money ritual,” he stressed.

A women’s rights and gender advocate, Dorothy Njemaze, said it was important to highlight the fact that when women are not safe, it means the country is not safe, which also means the economy would be affected.

She said, “Beyond rolling out buses with fanfare and press coverage, the conversations are gravitating towards how safe it is for people.”

She asked government at all levels to take a stand with the law in the interest of the people they govern, while stressing the need for an active and reliable emergency response service.

“We deceive ourselves a lot and there is hypocrisy at the different levels of leadership and women bear the consequences,” she added.

Njemaze said it was time people were aware of the link between their permanent voter cards, voting and their well-being. She also advocated for free medical service for survivors of gender-based violence.

She added, “We need to enlighten people how to better engage. People should know how to use their PVC to drive out public officers who are constantly driving Nigeria backward. We need to do much more sensitisation on these things.”

2mercy:
https://punchng.com/cheap-deaths-increasing-rape-ritual-killings-making-women-endangered-species/



Lalasticlala

Blablamalala:
[s][/s]

ENDANGERED SPECIES KOR nonsense media narratives.

Blablamalala:
[s][/s]

ENDANGERED SPECIES KOR nonsense media narratives.

Inison:
So who says men are not endangered too?

Later, they will be shouting feminist rights

themonk:
These days if a journalist wants to get attention, they either say women are being maltreated or the write some rubbish about racism. People want to be victims so much that these writers take advantage of it to get attention.

99% of people killed in the Russian-Ukraine war are probably men, but nobody cares so much about males deaths, it doesn’t attract attention to anybody. Once a building that inhabits women and children is bombed it will be all over the news.

I don’t support violence on anybody but the media is very biased against men. Men are the endangered species.

vinceyinnovation:
Man engendered woman but woman is now endangered....

Strange

But why is it that women find it hard to marry and complain that men are scarce

DUDE, WHAT THE FÜCK ARE YOU EVEN SAYING

Benitoh:
Your concerns is all about women, what about men that are being killed like chicken

Women are the more viable species. Men are as useless as tissue paper.

Zealll:
Their greediness cause it.

BigBashiru:
For decades, we couldn't speak out... but now we can boldly say that men are the problem - always exhibiting their violent nature and inability to think beyond their libido.

We hv to resort to shaming men to end the menace.

Yes it's not all men but IT IS MEN NONETHELESS.

Let's not allow Nigeria to become like Canada where men are hated for these reasons and for these crimes.

Nigeria still has very good gender relations and men must now rise to the occasion to keep it that way.

Sanwo olu is not trying as well.... he should have terminated the contract of the Primera company as that would have been fair to all women in lagos but by not taking stringent action let's hope not to hear another story...

GOOD GENDER RELATIONS INDEED. YET MEN ARE LEAVING MISOGYNISTIC COMMENTS ON THIS THREAD LIKE THE ONES ABOVE