Police Insights: How Hookups Are Linked to Missing Girls in Nigeria

The Alarming Rise of Missing Girls in Nigeria: Hookups and Ritual Killings

The Nigerian police have recently made a statement linking most missing girls’ cases and ritual killings to hookups, especially highlighting the dangers of online relationships.

These incidents are often connected to a growing societal trend where some people engage in ritual killings as a means to gain wealth or power, driven by deeply ingrained beliefs about the efficacy of such practices.

A notable example is a case in Ogun State, where teenagers were involved in the gruesome killing of a young woman, allegedly for ritual purposes, after a romantic relationship had turned deadly.

Ritual killings are not isolated to certain regions but have been reported across Nigeria, with various perpetrators, from fruit sellers to religious figures, implicated in such acts.

These killers are often seeking quick financial gains and view human sacrifice as a means to unlock wealth, bypassing faith and traditional work ethics​.

The phenomenon continues to grow, driven by desperation and the belief that rituals can offer quick solutions to deep societal and personal problems.