Reps demand inquest into ritual killings

The House of Representatives on Wednesday charged the Inspector- General of Police, Usman Baba, to commence thorough investigations into the rising cases of ritual killings in the country.

This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance presented by the Deputy Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu, , at the plenary in Abuja.

In his presentation, Okechukwu decried the increase in ritual killings with increasing cases of abductions and missing persons in different parts of the country.

He said: “On January 22, three teenage suspects and a 21-year-old reportedly killed one Sofiat Kehinde and severed her head and burnt in a local pot in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

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”The police command in Ogun on February 7, reported that one of the suspects confessed that he learnt the act of ritual killing from a video he watched on Facebook.”

The lawmaker said the death of Sofiat attracted national outrage and condemnation considering the age of the suspected killers.

He said perpetrators of such wicked acts often use social media as a tool to advertise their evil acts.

He also mentioned the grievous killing of Iniobong Umoren, a young woman in her 20s; who was lured to a particular location in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, for a job interview.

“Ritual killing had become a predominant theme in most homemade movies which if not checked, our younger generation may begin to view it as an acceptable norm,” Okechukwu added.

The House, thereafter, declared a national emergency on ritual killings and urged National Orientation Agency (NOA), stakeholders, and the media to initiate a campaign towards changing the situation in the country.

The parliament also directed the Executive Director, National Film and Video Censors Board to ensure due diligence on movie productions in the country.

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