Ritual killings in Nigeria persist not because of weak security, but due to a dangerous cultural belief that human sacrifice can bring wealth. Experts say it’s time to call it what it is—a scam.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he recent chilling case of a self-proclaimed native doctor in Enugu State, linked to a string of ritual killings, has sent shockwaves across Nigeria.
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But while many react with horror, few stop to examine how deep-seated cultural beliefs may be enabling such atrocities.
Despite modernity and global connectivity, ritual killings remain a grim and persistent threat in Nigeria. Victims—often women, children, or unsuspecting travellers—are abducted, mutilated, or never found at all.
But why do such crimes continue? The uncomfortable answer lies in Nigeria’s belief systems—cut across religion, entertainment, and social narratives.
Across Christian, Muslim, and traditionalist communities, the idea that wealth can be obtained through human sacrifice continues to fester.
Ironically, while many pastors and imams preach against ritual killings, their repeated warnings often legitimise the idea in the public imagination, reinforcing rather than dispelling the myth.
The media and entertainment industries have also contributed. From Nollywood’s seminal films Living in Bondage and Circle of Doom, to countless others that portray “blood money” as real, a narrative has been constructed and sustained.
Popular actors like Kanayo O. Kanayo are nicknamed “Nna’anyị Sacrifice” (Our Father Sacrifice) for frequently playing such roles.
Even comedians use the theme as a punchline, while internet debates rage over whether rituals can truly generate wealth.
Many Nigerians, when challenged, resort to the ambiguous cliché: “What you don’t know is bigger than you.”
“This obsession with the supernatural causes harm,” said a cultural analyst. “It gives cover to evil people who abduct, torture, and kill in pursuit of a mythical shortcut to wealth.”
While the Nigerian government is tasked with ensuring the safety of citizens, policing every corner of the country is virtually impossible.
By the time security agents respond, the crime is often already done—and punishment can never bring back the dead.
This problem is not unique to Nigeria. In the United States, which boasts one of the most advanced law enforcement infrastructures in the world, mass shootings remain a national crisis.
In 2023 alone, the US recorded 604 mass shootings, with 754 fatalities and 2,443 injuries, despite the efforts of police, the FBI, and Homeland Security.
No society, regardless of its security apparatus, is immune to crime if the cultural conditions allow it to flourish.
The US gun violence epidemic is partly sustained by its Second Amendment, which protects citizens’ right to bear arms.
Though Canada shares a border and similar colonial roots with the US, it does not experience mass shootings at the same scale—highlighting the importance of cultural context in crime prevention.
Likewise, in Nigeria, no amount of policing can fully prevent ritual killings if large portions of the population still believe that human sacrifice brings wealth. The myth must be tackled head-on.
“If money rituals worked, the richest people on Earth would be from Nigeria,” said a social commentator. “One human body should instantly generate the naira equivalent of \$100 billion. But wealth doesn’t work like that—it requires productivity, services, and value.”
Historically, Africans believed charms and sacrifices gave invincibility, yet these failed when European colonisers arrived with superior weapons.
Today, native doctors are arrested, detained, and charged—none have vanished from custody or conjured forces to defend themselves.
Criminals now target religious centres and traditional shrines alike. Clerics and herbalists alike are kidnapped or killed.
Some now move with armed security escorts** and **bulletproof vehicles, a striking irony for individuals supposedly empowered by the supernatural.
The solution lies in reshaping public understanding. Religious leaders, filmmakers, entertainers, and educators must abandon the term “blood money” and instead declare money rituals a scam.
By continuing to refer to such killings as real and potent, even while condemning them, they are inadvertently endorsing them.
“The moment we stop calling it blood money and start calling it fraud, the mystique will collapse,” one clergyman argued.
In a society where some individuals seek to sanitise their ill-gotten wealth by donating to religious institutions or charitable causes, the myth of blood money provides dangerous moral cover.
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To end ritual killings, Nigeria must embark on a campaign of cultural re-education. As Bob Marley sang: “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our own mind.”
Believing that wealth comes from sacrifice is not only false—it is deadly.
Ibrahim Onipede is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
