Okeite Money Ritual and Murder in Enugu -By Leo Igwe

According to a post that one Sen Chijinkem Ugwuanyi made on Facebook, a young man from Amaeze in Nsukka in Enugu killed four people including his Mom, grandmother, sister, and sister’s child through food poìsoning in his quest to make easy money called Okeite. According to the post, this guy committed this crime after a friend lured him to indulge in Okeite. The friend took him to a native doctor in the Agbani area in Nsukka. The so-called native doctor instructed him to poison and kill his mother. On the day he was told to carry out this dastardly act, the grandmother and other relatives including a child visited. He poisoned their food and they all ate the food and died. According to the Facebook post, one of the people who ate the food, a 9-year-old, survived. The young man who poisoned family members confessed to the crime and asked for forgiveness. In a video that was posted on Facebook, a local mob paraded and forced him to go to the grave of the mother and asked for forgiveness.

AfAW declares that the Okeite money ritual is a scam. Mischievous individuals use this scheme to extort money from gullible youths and others who want to get rich or succeed in business. The Okeite money belief has no basis in reason or reality. Human or ritual sacrifice cannot make anybody rich or successful as popularly believed. As this case shows, the belief predisposes ritual money seekers to exploitation. The belief motivates them to commit atrocities. The Advocacy for Alleged Witches enjoins the public to abandon belief in Okeite or money ritual and embrace evidence-based means of earning money or achieving success.

Leo Igwe directs the Advocacy for Alleged Witches.