We should stop blaming leaders of socialization agencies – parents, teachers, pastors, and film producers – for the ritual killings that are taking place in Nigeria today. They share a part of the blame, no doubt about it, but they are not the major influencers of the murders that are being linked to ritual practices.
The challenge, in my view, draws from two major sources. One is underground ritual practices that we continue to tolerate, in our desire to protect our “culture.” The other is a fallout of negative consequences of the march of science, specifically, the science of organ transplanting. Both are outside the influence of socialization agencies.
Roots of the problem
The science of replacing body parts (heart, kidney, liver) gave rise to a crime that we now know as organ trafficking. It involves killing humans and extracting their body parts for organ transplanting. We first heard of this crime when hundreds of African migrants reportedly met their sad end in the Sinai while trying to cross over to Europe for greener pastures. The harvested body parts are reportedly sold to unscrupulous hospitals and surgeons for organ transplant. A 2011 CNN exposé on this evil practice shocked the entire world.
Today, 10 per cent of organ transplants done in the world are considered illegal. This works out at an average of 12,000 illegal organ transplants performed each year. It is likely that some of Nigeria’s reported ritual murders feed into this statistic. Organ trafficking reflects the business side of the ritual madness, and we shall come to it shortly.
As for customary rituals that involve human life, we have hitherto conducted discussions around them in hushed tones. Although this is a part of our dark past, human sacrifices and cannibalism, strictly speaking, are not peculiar black or African qualities. Every society carries this burden from their past. The difference is that, while most societies have evolved and discarded the practices, Africans are slowly making progress. The modest efforts they make are sometimes challenged by intellectuals who rationalize aspects of the custom and practice.
In Nigeria, people are not shocked when they hear that a stranger was abducted, killed or buried alive to honour a dead monarch. Nor are we scandalized to see a victim openly riding with a dead monarch to “escort” the remains on a journey of no return.
The past feeds the present
There is, however, a world of difference between what our forefathers did and what our youths are accused of doing today. Various communities and ethnic groups in Nigeria invented reasons for wanting to sacrifice human beings. Some did either to appease the gods or to ward off impending disaster, as we saw from the story of Ikemefuna in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Those who live in certain parts of Lagos State fear for their lives when local Oro festivals are announced, just as strangers steer clear of communities in certain parts of Nigeria whenever it is announced that a monarch has died. Recently, we were morbidly entertained with the spectacle of a young man groomed to “escort” the remains of a king to meet his ancestors in a forest, a journey of no return.
Here’s the difference. Outside of what looks like these community-sanctioned murders, it remains an abomination for anyone to slay another. Anyone who kills, by accident or design, except in a war situation, was promptly ostracized and banished from their community. Which raises the question: at what point did individuals adopt ritual murders as route to wealth? When we hear stories of youths killing their parents or girlfriends, this is proof that most parents are not to blame. No parent teaches children how they can be murdered for money. But it’s not conclusive proof that some youths didn’t spy and confirm the practice from their homes, especially through furtive monkey businesses of powerful and wealthy parents. The world of the occult is something that is yet to be fully explored for how it ties in with what we are witnessing. Certainly, there appears to be a cartel of dark forces at play.
Finding solutions
The sad business of organ harvesting is a worldwide challenge. It is highly likely that youths that embark on ritual murder are merely agents of organ merchants. If this is the case, the solution is to cut off demand by going after the offtakers. We need to identify, frustrate, and deter them from further encouraging and empowering our youths to commit murder. Naming, shaming and successfully prosecuting those that have become wealthy through this reprehensible trade will go a long way to pour cold water on the practice.
Consequently, every youth caught today with a human body part is an opportunity to draw closer to the ogres of the organ trade. We need meticulous investigation and exposure as well as diligent prosecution and punishment of the evil merchants.
The cultural dimension is a bit tricky. Intellectuals and culture enthusiasts frequently rationalize the practice of sending unfortunate citizens to “escort” dead monarchs to their graves. Cases abound of pastors found with human bodies buried underneath their altars or on their church premises. Culture advocates look down in shame but say nothing as victims are kidnapped and led away to be murdered in the name of culture and tradition.
There should be a way to promote and persuade the adoption of a national consensus on the need to evolve beyond this as a society. This task can be undertaken by the media and special-purpose NGOs or introduced as campaign platforms by political parties and party candidates.
The third solution is to look at our system of education and rejig it to produce more people who do not have to struggle for the few available spaces. This is a subject for another day.
Tinubu: Time to take a bow
There are four good reasons why the strongman of South-West politics needs to take a bow from his presidential quest.
He has helped many to climb to positions of influence, including the vice-presidency. He should encourage any one of them who he finds younger and more capable to run. Nigeria needs a young, vibrant, knowledgeable and capable leader to attempt a rescue from the disaster that has befallen us. And he represents more of the same type of disaster.
The old man is yet to tell Nigerians what he will do to get us out of our current challenges with interethnic unity, economy and breakdown of social values. The one time he attempted a solution was an absolute disaster. This was when he proposed military mobilization to solve youth unemployment. Since then, he has refrained from offering solutions and is running purely on a sense of entitlement. Everything that his handlers are trying to hide from the public about Tinubu indicates that the old man has a serious health issue that he needs to take care of. If this were to be the case, he should leave Nigeria’s health to attend to his own. We should all wish him well and pray that his closest advisers persuade him to continue with his role as kingmaker.
Finally, Nigerians know that Nigeria has many political giants with feet of clay when it comes to governance. Being President is not kind to people who are ill-suited, ill-prepared and incapable. If the Jagaban cares about his image – and his place in history – he should avoid the presidency like a plague. He should compare the image of his protégée occupying Aso Rock at this moment with what it was before March 2015 and learn a lesson. Wisdom is profitable to direct.