Over 30 bodies suspected to be victims of ritual killings have been discovered in the past year in the Imo River, located in the Oriendu Autonomous Community, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State.
The community’s traditional ruler, HRH Eze Philip Ajomiwe, disclosed this to journalists at his palace following the recent discovery of another woman’s body.
According to Eze Ajomiwe, the victims, mostly young girls, are often found either completely naked and mutilated or stuffed in bags. He added that some decomposing bodies had also been discovered beside the NNPC pipeline.
“The ritualists from Imo usually come at night to dump the bodies of their victims inside the Imo River. By morning, we wake up to see them,” he lamented.
Expressing deep concern over the growing fear within the community, the monarch revealed that no arrests had been made despite repeated efforts.
He noted that the community’s vigilante group had been unable to apprehend the suspects due to a lack of adequate equipment.
“We are appealing to the state government to empower our vigilante group with the necessary logistics to help them tackle this menace,” he stated.
Eze Ajomiwe further disclosed that multiple reports had been made to security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), and a letter was sent to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly on February 7. However, no concrete action has been taken to apprehend those behind the atrocities.