Residents of Asaba, the Delta State capital, have expressed worries over the rising ritual killings in the area and called on the Police to rise up to its responsibilities in checkmating the situation.
The respondents while giving their backings to the Asaba Vigilante members, on Wednesday, said that in the last few weeks, Asaba metropolis has witnessed series of unidentified persons allegedly murdered for rituals with vital parts of their bodies removed, a situation that evidently confirmed ritual killings.
The Iyase of Asaba, Chief Patrick Isioma Onyeobi, had during a meeting with the state Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Mohammed Inuwah, appealed for thorough investigation into the alleged ritual killings in the area, adding that series of reports have indicated that victims of the ongoing bizarre activities are strangers as their bodies are dumped in strategic places.
But the Police Commissioner, Hafiz Mohammed Inuwah, who spoke to journalists at a press conference, however assured that the Police were doing enough to get rid of the criminal elements in the state, adding that with the arrest of several suspects, residents across the state will continue to heave sigh of relief and called for the collaborative efforts of the vigilante members with a view to assisting the police to combat crimes in the state.
Barely one month after a female body was discovered on Christmas day, a decapitated and unidentified body was discovered almost adjacent to the Police Station (A Division,) along Nnebisi road Asaba last weekend.
Sources said that the decapitated body of the man believed to be lunatic, was allegedly murdered for rituals by unknown persons as until his death, he took residence at the foot of a statue close to a bank in the area for about two days.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend the culprits, adding that “we are aware that part of his body was missing when he was found, and the Police are investigating the incident with a view to bringing the culprits to book”.
Meanwhile, a man who preferred anonymity, doubted the assurance of the Police to apprehend the victims, even as he harped on the growing security challenges in the state capital and its environs, adding that the situation might portend bad omen if urgent steps are not taken to arrest the situation.
Investigation revealed that several persons not identified as natives of Asaba and its environs have allegedly been killed and their bodies dumped at strategic places after vital parts were removed.
Some residents, who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity, described the incident as pathetic, adding that many of such victims were commercial sex workers who move about during nightfall and appealed to the Police to ensure 24 hours patrol to all the nooks and crannies in Asaba and its environs.
Another respondent cited the recent invasion of Issele Azagba Community, a neighbouring community to Asaba where a man was allegedly murdered and a minor kidnapped by suspected Fulani hersdmen, stressing that since its first occurance few months ago, the police were still investigating the incident and appealed to the state government to abide by the recommendation by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to float a regional security outfit in the face of the insecurity.
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