The House of Representatives has declared a national emergency on ritual killings.
This follows the murder of a 20-year-old woman in a suspected ritual killing case that has shocked the nation. It is alleged that those behind the killing had plans to use her body parts in some kind of money-making juju.
The National Film and Video Censors Board, (NFVCB), has been directed to be the clearing agent after being ordered to drop all upcoming movies with a killing ritual plot.
This decision also follows the consideration of a motion, titled: “Need to Curb the Rising Trend of Ritual Killings in Nigeria”, which was presented at a plenary by the House Deputy Minority Party leader, Toby Okechukwu.
He expressed concern that some youths in his country are comfortable thinking that ritual killings bring money and wealth rather than embracing science and technology as a way of gaining the same.
The country’s booming film industry has a deep reverence for stories that portray the subject of rituals and black magic.
Ritual killing has become a predominant theme in most homemade movies, which if left unchecked, our younger generations may begin to view it as an acceptable norm,” Okechukwu said.
Okechukwu expressed concern that while the youth in other countries are embracing science and technology as a way of keeping pace with a dynamic world, some youths in Nigeria seemed stuck in the mistaken belief that sacrificing human blood was the surest route to wealth, safety, and protection.
“Such cruel and barbaric acts should no longer be promoted in our society, given the demands of today’s world”, he said.
Adopting the Motion, the House called on the NFVCB Executive Director to rise to the mandate of the agency as the clearing house for all movies produced in the country.
It also mandated its Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to ensure compliance with the resolution and report back to the House within weeks.
