by S’ola Filani

Security operatives have discovered a shrine where ritual killings reportedly takes place in the Shiagu community in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

According to reports, human parts are reported to be sold between N500,000 and N1 million to interested buyers.

In the course of razing down the shrine, youth in the community recovered a picture of the chief priest holding something that looks like a human hand as well as a list which many suspect contain the names of ritual murder victims.

Mrs Nnenna Emmanuel Okonkwo, a mother of six, whose two children were stolen in one night and murdered at the shrine spoke to the Sun Newspapers saying:

“As I was sleeping, I was woken up at 4am when I heard the sound of my door be­ing broken. I began to shout inside my room, ‘who is that? Who is that? Who is that?’ Then some men broke down the door and pointed their light at my face. They started dragging my eight-month old son with me and I called out to my mother-in-law in the next room, telling her that some people had broken into my room to take away my baby.  As I was struggling with them, they gave me dirty slaps on either side of the cheek. The impact of the slaps as my eyes were covered with blood. As they were taking my child away, my husband’s younger sister blocked them outside. So, they kicked her with their boots and she fell, hitting her waist on the ground.

“Then, they went to the other room where my mother-in-law and my daughter were sleeping and broke down the door as well. They entered the room and took away my daughter, aged three years and seven months who was sleeping with her grandmother. My mother in-law shouted that they can shoot her but leave her grand children, but they refused. They carried the two children into the vehicle they parked outside. Before our neighbours could come out, they had zoomed off. Since then, we have not set eyes on the children. My mother in-law said she could not live with what happened; that it was better for her to die. And she died two weeks later.”