Kano - A group of women in
northern Nigeria have begun three days of fasting and prayer to protect
themselves from ritual murder at the hands of their own children.
The women are spooked by a rash of killings by children who were lured into
black magic cults and convinced to kill their parents, Yusuf
Israel, spokesperson for the northern state of Taraba,
said on Tuesday.
"The women, under the leadership of the wife of the state governor,
Priscilla Nyame, have begun three days of fasting and
prayers for divine intervention against the new trend of ritual killings,"
he said in an interview.
"What is more disturbing is the fact that the victims of these children
are invariably their parents, whom they are ordered to kill by the cult they
belong to," he added.
"These children are initiated into ritual societies through gifts, usually
edible things. Once they eat, they become initiated," Israel said. Both
Muslim and Christian women were taking part in the prayers.
Habila Audu, a father of
two initiated children, told the gathering he was laid low in bed for six weeks
by his two daughters who had cast a spell on him.
He claimed he escaped death only when one of his daughters rebelled against her
cult.
"Habila owes his life to the disagreement
between the daughters. While one wanted to ritually drain his blood, the other
insisted that he shouldn't be killed," Israel said.
"The trend is becoming rampant and the women felt it is only God who can counter
this diabolical development because rituals can best be fought with
prayers," he said.
Although the vast majority of Nigeria's 126 million population publicly profess
either the Christian or Islamic faiths, traditional beliefs in witchcraft and
juju persist in many areas.
Dozens of murders are said to be committed every year by people under the
influence of cults.