Fetishism, which recognizes an inanimate spirit object as a custodian of magical powers, is pervasive in Nigeria. It had been practiced from time immemorial. People who were suspected as ogbanje, an incarnation of an evil spirit in Igboland, were often ostracized from the community. The birthing of twin children was considered an abomination, so one of them had to be killed and disposed of in an evil forest. The Yoruba culture forbade married women from having a sexual relationship with another man. A wife suspected of cheating could be laced with magun, a magical charm that could kill the lover or make it impossible for the lover to disengage after the act of sexual intercourse. Some of these so-called abominable acts may have been consigned to history where they belong. However, other fetish and more devilish behaviors have emerged in Nigeria and have assumed disturbing proportions.
Approximately 800 million or 11% of people live in extreme poverty, which the World Bank defines as surviving on just $1.90 a day. Global extreme poverty rose for the first time in over 20 years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was exacerbated by forces of conflict and violence and compounded by the devastating effects of climate change phenomena. About 120 million additional people have been consigned to poverty because of the pandemic. Global extreme poverty was projected to hit 150 million by the end of 2021. Half of the poor people are women and children who live in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are dominant in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. Nigeria’s 12-year conflict with the Islamic insurgents alone has claimed about 350,000 and displaced 3 million people.
Due to the perennial traffic congestion in Lagos, where I lived for most of my life, I would often walk to nearby facilities to engage in chores. The walks also provided me with a much-needed opportunity to exercise. I would deploy my strong observation skills to analyze the circumstances of the people and the environment. I can usually interpret the lifestyles of the people and the peculiarities of their environment. I would quickly observe that about 50% of the young persons I see possess no visible means of livelihood.
Official demographics specify that 50% of the population is represented by youth below 19 years. The unemployment rate in Nigeria rose to a catastrophic rate of about 27% in the second quarter of 2020, representing the highest in history. In the fourth quarter of 2020, 38.5% of the labor force aged 15 to 24 years in Nigeria was unemployed.
The combination of the high poverty rate, youth unemployment, and moral degradation has elevated the syndrome of fetishism among youths in Nigeria recently. Though the rate of kidnapping for ransom had been pervasive in Nigeria, it is gradually being overtaken by kidnapping for money rituals. The frustration and inordinate desire of youths have driven them to embrace the get-rich-quick syndrome.
“Yahoo plus,” a coined name representing internet scams in Nigeria, has been upgraded to “yahoo plus plus” to accommodate the brutal and tragic crime of monumental dimensions that scavenges body parts through ritual killing. This development is more prevalent with the youth, some of whom had confessed after being caught in the act. They are willing to kill their loved ones and harvest their body parts to prepare charms and potions, which are alleged to provide magical powers to ensure success in their fraudulent activities.
I had the impression that the more educated and enlightened people are, the more objective and result-oriented. However, I have had so many disappointing occasions when I would condemn the fetish beliefs of some educated proponents of juju. They would engage me in vigorous arguments in defense of the efficacy of voodoo or juju. Unfortunately, these inclinations are profound and pervasive. Due to my affiliation with the sciences, I believe in objective reality that recognizes the external world of physical objects, events, and forces that can be observed, tested, and measured. Ritual murder, witchcraft, black or white magic, or similar contraptions have no relationship with power, influence, and success.
The typical medium for activating these so-called magical powers resides in the herbalists who are locally referred to as “native doctors.” By the way, they have no business denigrating that highly cherished and revered title (Doctor) that several decent people have persevered to achieve. After dispossessing their fetish patrons of their financial resources, they would often recommend seemingly impossible and despicable sacrificial deeds to conclude the process. They would expect their ignoble clients to abandon their inordinate fetish desires. Unfortunately, the die-hard clients would proceed and deliver hard-to-find body parts as recommended to protect their initial investments.