Humans would do anything, including ritual sacrifice, to become affluent rapidly when society’ s value system is devalued and money is revered as a god. In recent years, Nigerian society has lost touch with its principles.
People nowadays have such a strong need for money that they resort to money rituals as a means of becoming wealthy and powerful quickly. An ordinary adolescent would rather become a billionaire overnight than work hard and follow the sowing and reaping process.
{The 18- year- old boy who killed his mother for money ritual Edo State in 2018}
Video: Why I killed my mother and slept with her corpse- Teenager
As a result, money rituals have become more common among young people recently. This is a shocking event, but before we blame those who committed this heinous act, we must examine the core of the problem.
How It All Started
Money rituals and corruption seem to have a mutually beneficial relationship with evil and wicked people. Nigeria is a country where citizens steal public funds and claim them as their own. Because the thieves did not earn it, they spent it in such a way that others envied them. In order to imitate them, the youth take radical measures, such as executing money rituals.
Furthermore, the way government officials who steal money are celebrated in society encourages more young people to want to be like them.
{20- year- old Victor Nnachata and others arrested in 2018 for breaking into a grave in order to steal a human skull for money rituals}
Aside from that, Nigeria has a high youth unemployment rate. Parents, relatives, and close friends put pressure on these young people to provide what they don’ t have. As a result, to cope with the stress, some of them indulge in money rituals.
Nigeria’ s rising problem with money rituals has also been helped by the entertainment industry. Some of the films and songs glorify the virtues of money and encourage young people to amass wealth as rapidly as possible. For example, the song ” Logo Benz” by Olamide and Lil Kesh, for example, fits this criteria.
The Present Case of Money Rituals in Nigeria
In a new case of teen ritual homicide reported in Ogun state, four teenage guys allegedly conspired to murder a female dating one of them for ritual purposes.
Sofiat, the girl, was said to have been enticed by one of the lads, Soliu Majekodunmi, who also happens to be her lover. After she arrived, the boys conspired to murder her by chopping off her head, which they later burned as part of a ritual.
According to reports, the boys ran out of luck when a security guard stationed in the area noticed them burning what appeared to be a human head. The security guard contacted the police, and the boys were apprehended.
What’ s the best way to get out of this Serious Problem?
The cornerstones of a new value system in Nigerian culture must be hard labor, integrity, honesty, meekness, and contentment. The truth is that the government has only a modest influence on how people value things. Its primary responsibility is to interpret and implement the Constitution through state laws. As a result, the family bears the burden of establishing a new value system.
More importantly, the government must take anti- corruption measures. Nigeria will perish if corruption is not eradicated. There will be no need for desperation if the youth’ s role models do not steal and lavishly spend their stolen cash. Looters must not be given chieftaincy titles by traditional authorities.
Unemployment is a global problem. In Nigeria, however, it is extremely high. Nigeria’ s unemployment rate grew from 27. 1 percent to 33. 3 percent between December and March 2021, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The government should fix this area as quickly as possible to avoid the imminent doom that it may bring. If the youths are employed, money rituals will be irrelevant to them.
Consequently, the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) must screen and reject songs that have the potential to inspire individuals to get rich quickly before they are broadcast to the general public. Furthermore, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should be given the jurisdiction to examine anyone who suddenly becomes affluent. Banks should notify the EFCC if they see a customer with a rapidly growing account balance.
Finally, ritual killers should not be shielded from prosecution by the government. Any person found guilty of murdering another person for the purpose of profiting from a religious ritual should be put to death.
Money- rites are a bad thing. Ritual killers have no place in our society, and neither do parents, the government, or anyone who wants a better Nigeria.
