Reps declare national emergency over ritual killings

By TONY AKOWE, Abuja

The House of Representatives has declared a national emergency on the increasing spate of ritual killings.

The Green Chambers asked the Inspector General of Police to bring to book all those involved in the act.

The House also asked the Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board to increase monitoring of videos produced with ritual killing contents and ensure that such contents are deleted in line with its mandate.

Adopting a motion of urgent public importance by Deputy Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu, the House asked the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the media, school owners and parents to carry out enlightenment campaignS with a view to curbing the rising cases of ritual killings in the country.

Okechukwu had raised concerns about the rising cases of kidnaping for ritual purposes and the increasing cases of missing persons, which he said has assumed an alarming rate.

He also said that scenes containing killings for ritual purposes have become rampant in home videos, adding that if not checked such movies have the capacity to impact negatively on the mind of young Nigerians. (The Nation)