The Nigerian Police Force has connected many cases of missing young women to ritual practices, with a growing association to the rising hookup culture in the country.
Omolola Odutola, the Public Relations Officer for the Ogun State Command, shared these details on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief. During the discussion on “Hookup Culture: Impact on Youth Values and Relationships,” Odutola highlighted that young women aged 20 to 32 are most affected by this trend.
She explained that many young people, especially men, view ritual killings as a way to gain wealth. “This particular menace is very serious and I would like a lot of young people to understand the danger in the hookup culture. Today, we have lots of reports of missing persons. By the time we start an investigation, not less than 10 young girls and ladies go missing daily,” Odutola said.
She added, “In-depth investigations also reveal that those cases are not by accidents. Most of them are connected to hookup channels and apps. They fall victim to strangers who causally invite them to unknown places, and eventually fall victim to being used for ritual purposes.”
The police spokesperson acknowledged that ritual killings and missing women are not new in Ogun State, but efforts are being made to address the issue. “Most cases of missing girls and ritual killings occurring in Ogun State of recent, I would like to say that it is not new. But as much as possible, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police has been able to tame these ugly incidents.”
She also pointed out that the belief among some young people that ritual killings lead to wealth is part of the problem. “It stems from the ugly perspective of young persons who believe that ritual killing could enrich them. We have some of these unscrupulous elements who deceive young people to get human skulls or human body parts, which they use for some kind of concoction to get them rich.”
As a result, the police force is working on advocacy and awareness programs to deter young people from engaging in ritual killings. “That is why we are having advocacy and sensitization, to enlighten young persons to make them understand that engaging in ritual killings does not in any way make them rich,” Odutola emphasized.
Additionally, she revealed that the police are collaborating with the State Women Affairs Commission to address the situation. “The Ogun State government, particularly the Women Affairs Commission works in tandem with the police command by providing counselling sessions.”
She also mentioned that when girls escape ritual attacks, efforts are made to help them recover from the mental distress they endure. “Apart from that, whenever we have cases such as this if per adventure the girls escape the rituals, we also have a proper way of helping them go through the distress of mental health and anxiety they might have felt during the incident.”
Odutola concluded that the hookup culture is especially common among young women aged 20 to 32, who often feel inadequate support from their parents, leading them to seek out the “get-rich syndrome.”
