Govt is not doing enough to stop ritual killings, says Eholor

Rights activist and President of One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Osagie Eholor, has lambasted the government for not doing enough to stop ritual killing for monetary purposes.

He recommended the death penalty or life imprisonment for herbalists and fake pastors whom he said encourage ritual killings.

According to him, “the government is not doing anything to address the issue of ritual killing that is now rampant even in the midst of under aged people.

“A man like Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is the Minister of Information and Culture, ordinarily should lead the nationwide campaign against ritual killing. He should organise, get the Commissioners of Information of the 36 states involved in a massive nationwide campaign against ritual killing but because he is deformed and not informed he can do nothing of such.”

The rights activist deflected suggestions that the involvement of under aged in ritual killing is as a result of their desire to cater for themselves in the absence of parental care.

“To say that under aged who are involved in ritual killings are forced to do so because of their desire to cater for themselves is totally wrong. You don’t take the life of another person just because you want to become rich.

“Most of those who are at the centre of these ritual killings, I mean those who are encouraging the evil deed, are herbalists. I will suggest that whenever any herbalist is caught in the ritual killing issue they should be sentenced to death of life imprisonment.

“The fear of been sentenced to death or life imprisonment will go a long way in curbing ritual killing as been master minded by herbalists and fake pastors.

“I have read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and I have not seen any part thereof where it is said that ritual killing is a way of becoming wealthy. I know that science does not teach anyone that human blood or parts can be turned to money making machine.

“To say that the government should limit the number of children that a family can have is not ideal. That will amount to infringement on the rights of individuals.

“Rather, the government can adopt town hall meetings where the disadvantages of having too many children should be explained as many people have the erroneous impression that having many children would be of advantage as such large population of children would take care of their parents in their old age.”