Alarm Raised in Imo as Over 30 Bodies Are Found in River: Fears of Ritual K#llings Escalate

Since last year, over 30 unidentified bodies have been found in the Imo River that are thought to be the result of ritual kil#ings.

This finding has caused significant alarm from HRH Eze Philip Ajomiwe, the traditional ruler of the Oriendu autonomous community.

The monarch told reporters at his palace on Monday that the most recent case included a woman whose disfigured body was discovered close to the river.

He claims that many of the victims, who are primarily young girls, are either packed in bags or left naked with parts of their bodies missing.

The ritualists, believed to be from Imo State, come at night to dispose of the bodies in the river. By morning, we wake up to the horrifying sight,” he lamented.

Security services have received several reports, but no one has been taken into custody. He claimed that the scenario has made many in the community quite afraid.

Efforts by the local vigilante group to track down the criminals have been ineffective due to the lack of adequate equipment.

“So, we’re appealing to the state government to empower the vigilante group with necessary logistics and support. You can’t fight an armed enemy with bare hands,” the monarch stated.

Eze Ajomiwe disclosed that on February 7, he wrote to the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly and formally reported the issue to the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies but not much has changed.

He praised the government’s recent increase in traditional rulers’ monthly stipends, but emphasised that the money was insufficient to address the escalating security threats.

In order to improve community security systems, he advocated for more government involvement.