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Ritual Slaughter of Human Beings for Fetish Beliefs is Real in Nigeria
Africans In America News Watch
Vanguard newspaper, one of Nigerian major newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka-Pemu and the Publisher of www.PointBlankNews.com, a United States-based online news service, Mr. Jackson Ude are currently locked in what appear to be press and legal battle over corruption of elite and ritual slaughter of human beings for fetish beliefs, a practice becoming very common in Nigeria, according to media and law enforcement sources. The facts of the matter Despite apparent attempts to muddle the issues at stake, Africans In America News Watch continues to present the facts of the matter for easy understanding of our readers. The facts of the matter was Pointblanknews.com publication of news story in December 2008 stating that Mrs. Oyindamola Amuka-Pemu, wife of the Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka-Pemu was arrested in Lagos, Nigeria for alleged beheading unnamed 14 years old boy at a shrine/location somewhere in Lagos as part of growing practice of ritual killing and ritual sacrifice common in some African countries particularly, Nigeria. One Mr. Steve Ogwu-Chinuwa (last name also spelt: Chinua), reportedly a freelance reporter based in Lagos, Nigeria broke the story, while Pointblanknews.com published it with photos on its online news service. The photos and captions identified Mrs. Amuka arrest in a local fetish shrine while performing the ritual. Pointblanknews.com further published the names and photos of some of the police officers, including senior officers that made the arrest and conducted the investigation. Pointblanknews.com further reported that Mr. Amuka bribed the police team that arrested her and investigated the case to secure her release, and after that she fled to Great Britain. According to Pointblanknews.com, the freelance reporter (Mr. Steve Ogwu-Chinuwa) stated that he “went to meet Pemu-Amuka at his Vanguard office to confirm if Oyindamola was actually his wife. He answered in the affirmative and then slumped in his chair.” “I helped him to his feet and departed.” Shortly after that meeting, Mr. Steve Ogwu-Chinuwa) the freelance reporter was arrested by the men of the Nigerian Police Force and charged with attempt to extort money from Mr. Pemu. After long period of silence, Vanguard newspaper on February 23, 2009 started running articles alleging that Mr. Steve Ogwu-Chinuwa the Nigeria-based freelance reporter and Pointblanknews.com US-based online news service had attempted to extort money from the publisher of Vanguard newspaper, Mr. Sam Amuka-Pemu. Vanguard newspaper in its articles consistently referred to Mr. Steve Ogwu-Chinuwa as agent of Pointblanknews.com. In the report, Vanguard newspaper stated that Mr. Steve Ogwu-Chinuwa had been charged to court and published photographs of individual identified as Mr. Steve Ogwu-Chinuwa in police custody. Vanguard newspaper also reported that stated Mr. Steve Ogwu-Chinuwa did connive with some policemen to stage the scene and effected the arrest of Mrs. Amuka, the wife of one of the most prominent and famous news establishment in Nigeria. At some point, the paper claimed that the pictures published by Pointblanknews.com were photos from home movie. Vanguard newspaper has also been running news articles alleging that a publicly known human rights activist and attorney, Mr. Giwa Amu defending the freelance reporter to be involved in shady and fraudulent activities. Nigeria Police Force Position In This Case: Sources from Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Police Force indicate that police is treating extortion case against the freelance reporter (Mr. Ogwu-Chinuwa). Sources from Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Police Force also indicate that police believe that the freelance reporter (Mr. Ogwu-Chinuwa) connived with some policemen, including senior officers to arrest Mrs. Amuka, take her to a local fetish shrine in Lagos, took her through staged murder ritual process, took pictures of the scene, and that those policemen may have extorted, or, made Mrs. Amuka pay them some huge amount of money to kill the fabricated case. However, the whereabouts of those policemen and the status of a case against them (if any) are unknown at the moment. New Revelations and New Twists:
As the case against the freelance reporter proceeds in Nigerian court, PointBlankNews.com on May 22, 2009 published a story with photos of Mrs. Amuka performing ritual at a location, including new photos of headless body and a severed human head with captions, “The 11 Years old Headless Body”, “The 11 Years old Severed Head”. On May 26, 2009 PointBlankNews.com also published another story stating that “A fresh bribery scandal has surfaced in the on going phantom arraignment of Lagos investigative reporter, Mr. Steve Ugwu-Chinua against Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr. Marvelous Akpoyibo. Mr. Akpoyibo is accused of collecting a sum of N200, 000 about $1500 to drop charges against the lead ritualist Alhaji Rasheed Alayande in the protracted case of murder been levied against Vanguard Newspaper Publisher’s wife, Mrs. Oyindamola Amuka”. “The alleged ritualist, Alhaji Rasheed Alayande told close friends that he is dazed that Commissioner Akpoyibo could give orders for his luck-up after collecting a settlement of N200, 000”. According to Pointblanknews.com report, “The ritualist is also said to have pointed an accusing finger at an assistant Commissioner of Police whom he allegedly gave Five acres of land, to thwart possible investigation and exposure in the gruesome murder of the yet to be identified boy.” However, the Vanguard newspaper, in its article published on May 30, 2009 made some startling revelations on Nigerian police investigation and findings: INVESTIGATION: Voluntary statements were taken from the complainant Sam Amuka and his wife Mrs. Oyindamola Amuka (Oyin). The suspects were arrested at different dates, charged and cautioned before volunteering statements. The 8th suspect was picked from the Vanguard office of Sam Amuka at Kirikiri, Lagos, where Lagos, where (Steve) had gone to show him the alleged ritual murder pictures of his wife (Oyin). Other suspects including some policemen were subsequently arrested. The SCID concluded its investigation and forwarded the case file to the Lagos State DPP for legal advice while the suspects including the officers were released on bail. The legal advice was being awaited, when Mr. Amuka discovered that Steve had gone ahead to publish the story and the pictures on the internet knowing same to be false. Following his fresh complaint, Steve and Alayande were rearrested. Detectives also visited the shrine, a mud building, located in a bush at Igbolu, Iyede, in Ikorodu area of Lagos. Searches were conducted in the offices and premises of the suspects, and all confessional statements were duly attested. FINDINGS: Police investigation revealed that: (i) Sometime in June, 2007 Mrs. Oyindamola Amuka (Oyin) met one Lola in England from whom she sought spiritual assistance for her sick son. (ii) The said Lola later introduced her to a syndicate of fraudsters (419) comprising the 5th - 8th suspects with operational bases in Ibadan and Lagos. (iii) The fraudsters took Mrs. Oyin through stage-managed ritual murder processes in search of the spiritual solution for her son's illness at a shrine (mud house) in a bush at Igbolu area of Iyede, Ikorodu, Lagos. (iii) The fraudsters took Mrs. Oyin through stage-managed ritual murder processes in search of the spiritual solution for her son's illness at a shrine (mud house) in a bush at Igbolu area of Iyede, Ikorodu, Lagos. (iv) The photographs taken at the scene were later given special effects falsely presenting Oyin as having been involved in ritual murder. One of the pictures was a headless body of a young man (10th suspect) while the other is a bodiless head also of the 10th suspect. Another showed Oyin raising a knife over the head of a young lad (10th suspect); all suggesting falsely that she had actually murdered him. (v) The person in the headless body and bodiless head pictures (10th suspect) is the son of one of the principal suspects (5th suspect) and a JSS III student, whom he deceived into believing that they were out with Oyin acting a film. (vi) After the first round of the purported rituals, the 5th, 6th, and 7th suspects went to the office of 1st suspect Supt. Babatunde who was then O/C Monitoring Unit (D13) at the State CID, Panti, confided in him that they had a case of ritual murder which they wanted his office to handle and that their aim was to extort money from the victim Mrs Oyin Amuka. (vii) Supt. Babatunde also intimated Steve Chinuwa who on 13/7/2007 led a team of detectives detailed by him to effect Mrs. Oyin Amuka's arrest at a filling station in Ikorodu from where she was again taken to a shrine (a mud house) also in Ikorodu. (viii) At the shrine, Oyin was forced to go through the same ritual processes while Steve videoed and took pictures. (ix) Supt. Babatunde and team in his office at the SCID Panti, demanded and received the sum of N4 million, threatening to notify the complainant Mr. Amuka (Oyin's husband) and publish the photographs if he failed to pay the amount. (x) Supt. Babatunde shared the N4 million 50-50; that is: N2 million to him and his policemen and N2 million to Rasheed Alayande and his group which included Steve, and thereafter destroyed the case file, ritual pictures and video tapes. (xi) Supt. Babatunde shared the money with his men and gave N100,000.00 to Steve Chinuwa. (xii) Steve Chinuwa also collected the sum of N100,000.00k from Rasheed Alayande and N150,000.00k from Ganiyu Ishola. Supt. Babatunde also gave him additional N100,000.00k when he complained that he was not fairly treated by his group. While Steve confirmed receiving the N100, 000.00k from Supt. Tunde which he returned in the course of investigation, he denied knowledge of other amounts. (xiii) In a bid to make more money off the Amukas, Steve reprinted the ritual pictures from his Motorola phone and presented them on 27/7/2007 to Mr. Amuka in his Vanguard office at Kirikiri, Lagos, and demanded for another sum of money, again threatening to publish the photographs if his demand was not met. It was at this juncture that he was arrested by the Police. (xiv) That Steve actually carried out his threat when Mr. Amuka did not pay him the money by publishing the photographs he took at the shrine on-website www.pointblanknews.com anchoring it with concocted and malicious story about the incident. This led to his re-arrest on 14/2/2009 and subsequent arraignment. CONCLUSION: The suspects have been arraigned in court with the exception of Supt. Babatunde Jonathan 'm' and three other NCOs who have long absconded from their duty post obviously as a result of their direct involvement in these unprofessional and scandalous conduct. It is strongly recommended that the officers be declared wanted while their stopped without further delay, please. Unanswered Questions & International Connections In This Alleged Heinous Crime There are simply a lot of unanswered questions in this developing story and it is hoped that this case will not end up as ‘mishandled investigation’ by the Nigerian authority, a known euphemism for official corruption. Three (3) countries, namely; Great Britain, Nigeria and United States are now connected with this alleged crime of ritual slaughter of yet unidentified boy in Nigerian local shrine. At some point, the topmost level of Nigeria Police Force and the nation’s justice system will step in and clear their image tainted by revelations in this case, or else, the British and American intelligence may be invited to assist in sorting things out, to unravel the truth of the matter. Crash of 2 Pen Personalities: Publisher Sam Amuka Vs. Publisher Jackson Ude From our investigation, the publisher and founder of Nigeria Vanguard Newspaper, Mr. Sam Amuka-Pemu has been described as a renowned, seasoned, veteran journalist and columnist of the "Sad Sam fame" who started as a reporter and rose to the top. Mr. Jackson Ude, founder and publisher of PointBlankNews.com pride himself as a trained, seasoned, hard-hitting reporter. He presents himself as one on a mission to fearlessly expose and fight corruption in Nigeria. He does not seem to shy away from controversial topics once he believes he has the facts. No matter who is more powerful or better connected, allowing the whole truth of this matter to prevail will move Nigerian society forward in the right direction. Widening International Interest In This Case Africans In America, Inc. (AIA), a leading African immigrant human rights organization based in New York and few other bodies have been raising awareness on ritual killings in Nigeria. Some, including civil societies, believe that some of the victims of ritual killings are victims of human trafficking. News reports indicate that the perpetrators are mostly affluent members of the society, while the victims are mostly the economically disadvantaged members of the same society. The corruption of law enforcement and judiciary may explain the reason Nigerian justice system quite often finds itself incapable of effectively investigation and prosecuting cases involving prominent members of the society in the oil-rich African nation, which also has reputation as one of the most corrupt country on earth. Without passing any judgment on this case because everyone is innocent until proven guilty in the court of law, this case clearly has many public benefit potentials. Significance of This Case and Way Forward We, (Africans In America News Watch) is following this case very closely and have been simplifying it for our readers. The significance of this case is that practice of slaughtering human beings (a/k/a, ritual killing; a/k/a, human sacrifice) at fetish shrines is a growing practice common in some African countries particularly, Nigeria. This is a fact; this is real. This case highlights the enormity of the problem. Though the parties in this case may not agree on many things, however, they (both the Nigerian Vanguard Newspaper, the United States PointBlankNews.com and the Nigeria Police Force) seem to collectively point to corruption and involvement of rank and file, the hierarchy of the officers of the Nigeria Police Force in this case (crime). Hope remains that in the end, both Nigerian Vanguard newspaper, United States-based Pointblanknews.com and the Nigeria Police Force will join forces with others including governments, religious institutions, civil societies, political parties, community and social bodies, and international organizations to heighten awareness and address the growing problems of corruption, slaughtering human beings (a/k/a, ritual killing; a/k/a human sacrifice) in Nigeria. Link 1: Some of the photos with captions published by PointBlankNews.com to buttress its story.
Link 2: Some of the photos published by Vanguard Newspaper to buttress its story.
Link3:How To Curb Ritual Killings —Aminu Lawan, Police Public Relations Officer, Kaduna State, Nigeria The News, Nigerian monthly news magazine Aminu Lawan is the Police Public Relations Officer, Kaduna. In this interview with Femi Adi, he explains why there are no cases of ritual killings in Kaduna. He also suggests ways to curb the activities of ritual killers in places , where they occur frequently Q: Ritual killings around the country are becoming some sort of worrisome occurrence, have you recorded any of recent in the state? Q: What did you discover during your interrogations was the reason for their action? Q: In the past, ritual killing was rampant in the state. I remember those days when people woke up to see mutilated corpses deposited in River Kaduna. How has the command been able to contain the activities of ritual killers in the state? So when we discovered their mode of operations, the police immediately mapped out strategies to cover the axis and since then the story has changed. If you visit the place like the Kaduna Eastern Bye-pass now you will see that, our men are on road patrol 24 hours round-the-clock. The illegal motor parks suspected to be their hideout were dismantled and we mounted surveillance on the existing legal parks in the state. We are also collaborating with the road transport union in the state to ensure that passengers boarding public transport don’t fall victim of ritual killers. I think the reason ritual killers don’t operate in Kaduna is to have solid security network. We also have a lot of programmes designed to check criminal tendencies and activities in the state. Since the new police commissioner, Haz Iwendi assumed duty in the state, the security situation has improved tremendously. As a former Force Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO more so, having served six Inspectors-General of police, he understands the security system to adopt in order to curb crime. Q: So how do ritual killers operate in place where the security system is good? Places To Avoid: • Otta, Ogun State 30 Ways To Beat Ritual Killers: • Avoid isolated places like under bridges, rail lines etc. |
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