By Emma Amaize

ASABA—RESIDENTS of Delta State are enraged at the activities of suspected ritualists and internet fraudsters (Yahoo Yahoo plus boys) who abduct and kill citizens, especially women, make away with their vital organs and panties reportedly for money-making rituals.

Elozino Ogege

There have been alarming cases of attacks and disappearances of persons at Jesse, Sapele, Abraka, Oghara, Ughelli and Warri in recent weeks.

Besides the latest kidnap, killing and harvesting of breasts and tongue of a First Class undergraduate of Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka, Elozino Ogege, which sparked the latest anger, suspected ritualists beheaded a widow at Oghara, the country home of former governor of the state, Chief James Ibori, in a similar manner, recently.

Commissioner of Police, Mr. Muhammad Mustafa, followed up on his promise, last Monday, to track down Elozino’s killers, with reports that at least four suspects, including two Yahoo Yahoo boys, a native doctor and security guard, have been arrested.

Operatives of the Special Armed Robbery Squad, SARS, stormed Effurun, last Monday, and apprehended a native doctor allegedly working with the criminals, while detectives were searching for the fleeing suspects.

PDP, Uduaghan react

Former governor of the state and All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial candidate in Delta South senatorial district, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, took to his Facebook page, weekend, to bemoan Elozino’s killing, calling on the security agencies to be more alive to enforce the law to stop the menace of Yahoo Yahoo boys, ritualists and cultists.

He said in all the commentaries on the incidents, “there seems to be a consensus that what happened to Elozino is the collective failure of government, parents, uncles, aunties, the church and schools.”

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, on Sunday, also called on the Police and other relevant security agencies to unravel the perpetrators.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, in a statement, urged the Police to “ensure that adequate security measures are put in place to rid Delta State of the evil menace of ritual killing and other disciples of the dark arts operating anywhere in the state.”

A lawyer and activist, Frank Oseya, said: “Majority is of the view that it was the handiwork of ritualists masquerading as Yahoo boys.

“A minority is of the view it could be politicians, since we are in election season and the fetish ones are on the prowl to renew their ‘black power’.

“Ritual killings have become very rampant in recent times, coinciding with a worrisome upsurge in the number of very young boys riding in very expensive cars, building mansions and flaunting unexplainable wealth.”

The suspects almost deceived me—Lawyer

Human rights activist and lawyer, Maxwell Ogedegbe, who rejected a brief from some accomplices in the Elozino murder after he found out that they were Yahoo boys, said they almost misled him by accusing SARS of unprofessional conduct.

Ogedegbe said when he called Commissioner Mustafa, who requested him to get in touch with the officer in charge, SARS, he got a true picture of things.