A Civil Society Organisation, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Ogun State chapter, on Wednesday, staged a protest over what it called incessant ritual killings and Internet fraud by youths in the state.
The CDHR, in collaboration with the Human Rights and Grassroots Development Society, called on concerned authorities to make efforts to address the increase in ritual killings and Internet fraud in the state.
The protesters, who assembled at the Kuto under bridge, moved round some areas of Abeokuta and later marched to the Governor’s Office in the Oke-Mosan area of the capital city.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as, ‘Kidnapping is a crime, stop it now’, ‘Security is our rights’, ‘Internet fraud destroys our pride’, and ‘Shun ritual killings, protect human rights and prioritise security in Nigeria’.
The CDHR stated that ritual killing, kidnapping, Internet fraud, drug abuse, and other social vices were crimes against humanity.
The group condemned the increase in social menaces in the state and urged the government to rise to the occasion.
One of the organisers of the protest, Yinka Folarin, noted that the increase in ritual killing in the state was worrisome and demanded the urgent need to act against it.
Folarin stressed that curbing the social menace demanded collective efforts from parents, the state and federal governments.
He stated that social vices would hinder the growth of the political, social, and economic systems of the country.
Folarin said, “We have come out this morning to say no to the increase in social vices in our schools and our communities, and the acts have been sabotaging our collective efforts.
We are here to condemn the increasing rate of kidnapping in our state and country. We are here to condemn the increasing rate of ritual killings and drug abuse in our society.
“These are crimes against humanity. These are crimes that we all must act against. We have come out to condemn Internet fraud, otherwise known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo’. There is no more ‘Yahoo Yahoo’; it has become ritual killing and it is obvious to all of us in the society.”
The group leader called for punitive measures ag
Similarly, residents of Arimogija and Ijagba communities in the Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Wednesday, took to the streets of Ifon, the headquarters of the council to protest against the spate of insecurity in the area.
It was gathered that the protesters, who were chanting solidarity songs, barricaded the entrance to the council secretariat, preventing the workers from going in.
They reportedly uprooted trees to block the main entrance of the secretariat.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, said the situation had been brought under control.
