[allAfrica.com] [The_Leon_H._Sullivan_Summit_Dinner] Warri: Ritualists in Madmen's Robes? This Day (Lagos) NEWS June 9, 2004 Posted to the web June 9, 2004 By Oghenekevwe Laba Lagos To many, it remains something that can hardly be believed, but the quantum of evidence available and reports to the effect before the police are enough proof. Little wonder then that youths in the strife-striken oil city of Warri have remained unstoppable in their resolve to rid the city of lunatics, who are lately found to be behind ritual killings and the unending war of supremacy that has left it in chaos. In the past few weeks, human parts of all sizes, some fresh, others already dry, and bones of all shapes, carrying price tags have been found in places that were inhabited by some supposed mad men, just as some other areas that were known to be abodes to well known lunatics turned out to be armouries of hidden wea-pons of all types from AK 47 to pump action riffles allegedly being put to use in the over seven-year old fratricidal ethnic 'war' in the city. This was at a time it was thought that peace was gradually returning to the troubled oil city. The angry youths, who unleash terror on any mad man found in the area, beat them , kill and set them ablaze. It all began three weeks ago when a motorcyclist (Okada rider) took a passenger to Otokutu Road, on the way to Delta Steel Complex (DSC), in outskirt of Warri. As he made to disembark under one of the bridges along the road, the passenger said he did not have money on him and allegedly requested the okadaman to follow him under the bridge to collect money from a friend to pay him. Unsuspicious of any danger, but mindful of his time, the okadaman reluctantly followed the passenger. How-ever, as they moved closer to the bridge, the bike man started perceiving offensive odour, which made him to change his mind on following the passenger beyond where they were. He told him to go under the bridge himself and bring the money for him. But when the passenger went inside, he came out with another man, who looked tattered. They both beckoned on him to come closer to them. The okadaman, who sensed that something was amiss, took to his heels, calling for help while his two assailants ran after him. He outran them and went to seek assistance from his fellow okadamen at the nearest okada park. On hearing from him, no fewer than 20 okadamen rode along with him to the location, parked their bikes and went straight to under the bridge to ascertain what exactly was happening. They did not believe what they saw. Edward Jefia, a mechanic in the area, said different kinds of human parts, ranging from heads, ears, legs, hearts, tongues, teeth and kidneys, among others, with price tags were found under the bridge. The place, he said, was like a market for human parts. "That is not all. The body of a six-year old baby was pierced through with a sharp object from the anus to the mouth and dried like a bush meat. It was hung conspicuously under the bridge. Along with it was the corpse of a man suspected to be an okada rider. All these things I am telling you were shown on Delta Television (DTV). "On seeing this, the okada riders decided to launch an attack on the three people they met in the place. The madman among them was caught, beaten to a state of unconsciousness and set ablaze by the enraged okadamen . One of the other two men escaped and the other one was beaten mercilessly and handed over to the police. The arrested man, they alleged, later told the police that they buried millions of Naira in the place. He was said to have also told the police that he will not say anything until he sees the Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori", Jefia claimed before City Diary. The incident was said to have further raised the suspicion of Warri youths in the city. Another madman was soon found in possession of arms and ammunition stored in his makeshift home beside the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Conference Hall along PTI Junction Road and Effurun Round-About. "The madman has been staying beside the wall of the fence of PTI Conference Hall in the past five years. However, the Uvwie youths, who wanted to clear the bush around the PTI Conference Hall, asked the madman to move away from the area. But the madman resisted the attempt to move him away from the place. Consequently, the youths re-enforced in large number the next day to dislodge him from the place. "On gaining access to the madman's hut, they discovered large quantities of firearms made up of AK-47 riffles, pump action, double barrel and locally made arms hidden in the place. Boxes of unused ammunition were also hidden in the place. On discovering this, the madman, who wanted to take to his heels, was caught, beaten to death and set ablaze", an Effurun motor park worker, Micheal Esievuadje, told City Diary , saying that it was from then a total war was declared on madmen on the streets of Warri. The floor of the madman's make-shift apartment, Esiev-oadje said, was found to be rugged and very tidy. Wondering how a genuine madman could be going about with GSM telephone handsets, one of such madmen, he said, was recently found with four GSM handsets in working conditions. "This one happened at Deco Junction along Warri-Sapele Road. The madman was standing at the bus-stop when people heard the sound of a telephone ringing in his pocket. Warri youths, who by now were suspicious of the activities of madmen in the city, pounced on the madman and discovered four GSM handsets in his pocket. They comprise two MTN, one ECONET and the other, a GLOBACOM. What does that tell you? How can a madman have four telephone handsets when many normal men don't have any? What do they do with the handsets? "As a formed mob wanted to lynch him, soldiers came to his rescue. The madman was later heard, telling policemen as he was being taken away that he will settle them with N2million if they allow him to go. The madman we all saw in the morning, Delta Telev-ision (DTV) went on air in the evening to say that the man was not mad, that he was a mechanic", Esievoadje stated. The Delta State Comm-issioner of Police, Mr. Charles Akaya, confirmed that his command have been receiving cases of men of unsound minds suspected to be involved in ritual killings. He said they were presently interrogating two men over the issue, saying that after satisfactory interrogation, the two men will be charged to court. And in Asaba, Governor James Ibori had appealed to Warri youths on Democracy Day in the state not to take laws into their hands by killing men of unsound minds suspected to be ritual killers. He advised them against jungle justice to ensure that innocent men of unsound minds were not sent to their early graves. All such suspects, he counselled should be handed over to the police instead of taking the laws into their hands and administering jungles justice on them.   =============================================================================   Copyright © 2004 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). =============================================================================