Posted by By Emma Arubi on
A SUSPECTED female ritualist carrying a baby in a Ghana-must-go bag was lynched yesterday just as a middle-aged man suspected to be a ritualist was nabbed by youths of Ughelli. Both incidents occurred in the early hours of yesterday at the Ughelli metropolis.
UGHELLI - A SUSPECTED female ritualist carrying a baby in a Ghana-must-go bag was lynched yesterday just as a middle-aged man suspected to be a ritualist was nabbed by youths of Ughelli. Both incidents occurred in the early hours of yesterday at the Ughelli metropolis.
The mother of the stolen child had retrieved the baby and was not available for comments when Vanguard visited while the lifeless body of the woman was still lying at the spot opposite Heroes of Faith Church.
The suspected male ritualist with blood stains all over his 'agbada" was alleged to have killed a boy at Agbarho-Otor near Ughelli and two other persons at an unknown destination in the town. He claimed to be a driver and a new man in town.
Police sources confirmed the stories and stated that investigation is already on.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Ughelli zone, has called on the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Udom Ekpoudom, to restore the disbanded Ughelli Vigilance Group, the cause of the face-off between the community and police for over two weeks now.
In a statement in Ughelli, the Zonal Chairman, Dr. Godwin Obanovwe, stated that 'the vigilante is a child of circumstance", adding that 'before the advent of the outfit, Ughelli town was largely unsafe as the crime rate was very high and several cases of violent robbery were recorded daily."
The NMA noted that in the heat of the robbery, precious lives including those of policemen were either lost or maimed, emphasising that the police alone could no longer guarantee the safety of lives and properties.
Dr. Godwin Obanovwe further maintained that the present impasse between the police on the one hand, vigilance group and the community on the other hand, was as a result of police unedifying response to alleged ritual killings in the town stressing that since the 'establishment of the group, there had been relative peace as people now move freely at any time without fear of molestation even as the economic life of the place has improved tremendously.