It
is a unanimously agreed fact in most parts of Nigeria that moral
decadence has set in and the society has lost both values and morals.
The average youth is thinking about money and luxuries of life.
Different forms of vices are being perpetrated by young people,
incidentally, most of those things that used to be money spinners no
longer yield much.
For
instance, the Advance Fee Fraud is gradually fading out while the
“Yahoo Yahoo” Internet fraud business is no longer lucrative as it used
to be. Most of those who were courageous enough to venture into armed
robbery never lived to enjoy their loot. Those still alive are
increasingly finding it difficult to operate because robbers keep losing
their lives in shoot out with policemen.
Street
Journal has found out that in the quest for the easy way out of
poverty, a lot of young men between the ages of 18 and 40 have opted for
money rituals. While greed is a major factor, some are believed to have
decided to go into rituals because of oppression by the rich while many
believe poverty is the main cause. A student of one of the tertiary
institutions in Kwara State who spoke to Street Journal disclosed that
“there are students who wouldn’t mind to hammer (hit big money) today
and die the following week”. That is to what extent morals have been
eroded.
Incidentally, the story is the same in most parts of Nigeria.
For
instance, in Enugu and some other parts of the East, secret cults now
thrive as they offer the youths temporary solution to their problems.
These cult groups transcend the normal campus brotherhoods whose members
are often used by rich politicians. The newer form of secret cults
boats of members that engage in esoteric ritual practices, human
sacrifices inclusive. Street Journal’s investigations revealed that
these cult groups have taken firm root in most big cities in the East.
They
now attract big boys who are seeking wealth, power and fame. Membership
most times is made up of politicians, professionals, top civil
servants, big time merchants; captains of industries, even clergymen are
not left out.
Most
people in the east adduced the growth of such money making cults to the
average belief of the Igbo man in juju or “ogwu” as it is called in the
local parlance. That aside, many people became members in order to
protect themselves from enemies and to seek total victory over them. The
medicine men who anchor most of the groups are believed to be capable
of waging spiritual warfare against whoever opposes them.
Street
Journal also found out that in order to prevent the groups from dying
out, the older members embark on recruitment drives once in a while
through which they woo prospective members. Poor young men are preferred
in most cases and they are given promises of stupendous wealth if they
can would perform rituals that will initiate them into membership.
Though
some walk away, a lot of young men have been enticed by the promise of
wealth. At times the prescribed ritual may involve the sacrifice of a
loved one like a parent, sibling or spouse. Investigations also revealed
that the conclusion of the ritual signals the beginning of the
entanglement of the newly initiated member and a lifetime bond is
formed. This is achieved via subtle blackmail as the cult normally has
evidence of the new initiate performing the ritual either in a
photographic or video form, though this is often unknown to the
initiate.
Such
pieces of evidence never find their ways out except the member decides
to dump the group. They are also often used as a means of controlling
members and ensuring that they do not deviate from the group’s
objectives thus serving as a back up to the blood covenant taken by each
and every member.
Some
years ago, one Amaechi, a Lagos based businessman was required to bring
his mother for rituals. He went to his hometown in Abia and told his
kinsmen that he was taking “Mama to Lagos for medical examination”. The
old woman however died in mysterious circumstances. The man hardly
visits his hometown now because he would be forced to explain the
circumstances surrounding his mother’s death.
Some
very desperate members have professed their preference to die young as
long as they die rich. There were speculations years ago that that a
rich young Igbo businessman who died at 44 years belonged to this
category. He incidentally left 44 houses behind, he had also prepared
his burial site before he passed on.
For
some others, the practice of having sex with a corpse is recommended.
This is said to be one of the most potent rituals in money making. In
some cases however, money seekers are ordered to have sex with lunatics.
A rich trader was caught pants down with a mad woman in Ogbete Main
Market in Enugu about three years ago.
It
has also been observed that sudden transformation often takes place in
the lives of members of such cults. People that had been known to be
poor would suddenly become rich and they acquire choice properties all
over. The trend for covering up the spiritual background of their wealth
is to start up businesses, but these days, most of them enter politics
and even run for elective offices.
Incidentally,
most of these cult groups do not forbid their members from attending
churches. Street Journal’s investigations revealed that they use that as
an effective way of covering up their deeds and blending well into the
society. Members are even encouraged to use their wealth to effect their
rise in religious sectors so that as leaders, their tracks would be
well covered.
It
is however unfortunate that most of those who make their money through
such channels are often cut down in their prime, and once someone is
initiated, there is no going back.
In
Ibadan and other big cities in the south west, a considerable increase
has been observed in the number of lunatics roaming the streets.
Investigations have however revealed that not all mad men on the streets
are genuinely mad. a certain money ritual is said to be in vogue which
involves the money seeker going crazy for a specific period of time
after which the remaining rituals wold be carried out. Investigations
revealed that most of those who go for this method prefer going to towns
where they are unknown to serve their period of madness. The only risk
however is that those not destined to be rich may remain incurably mad.
talk of naija
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