Why Festishim,ritualism won’t End Soon Among Youths
By Dr Sanusi Lafiagi
Two days ago, some students visited me in my office and asked if there were ever going to be an end to the menace of fetishism and ritualism which have now become rampant and prevalent among Muslim youths. To their dismay, I told them it is impossible to achieve for so many reasons:
- Our governors won’t sign the death penalty. Even if the criminals get the death sentence, the governors won’t execute them. In the last 10 years, I’ve lost count of the number of persons caught for ritual ‘keelings’. Who among them has been executed after sentencing? Some years ago, a son of a prominent Alfa here in Ilorin was caught and prosecuted for being in possession of a human part. By now, I guess he’s out.
- Jalabi is the source of these evils among Muslims. So long as Jalabiism persists, the raging fire of fetishism and ritualism will never be extinguished. Jalabi is a criminal enterprise. In the past, most Jalabi Alfas amongst the Babas don’t do more than Qur’ān recitation, adhkār with tesuba, nāfilah, and hantu. However, today, I can badly say that such doesn’t exist again.
- Leku leja vendors contribute greatly to this menace. It all starts from roasting chameleons, lizards, etc. Gradually, they graduated to using human parts. Some leku leja people have been fingered in the sale of human body parts. Proscribed the sale of dead or living animals by leku leja people. They should stick only to the sale of herbs and roots, etc.
- Uncensored wàásí is a major fuel for the proliferation of this evil practice. Most Jalabi alfas are guilty of preaching fetishism to the youth. Some of the younger ones deliberately make outrageous kufristic statements in order to trend, and after they receive public lalase-eing, they come out to retract. Until we are ready to regulate and censor public lectures, this menace will continue to fester.
- The destruction of family and societal values. Parents and stakeholders in society no longer care where the youths get their money from. We all celebrate mediocrity and crime low-key. We give recognition to young people without any known legitimate means of income. An Alfa will receive owo ìkóná/ọpẹ of 800k from an omokewu who doesn’t have any legitimate work he’s doing.
You see all these noises and outrages, we are merely scratching the problem on the surface. In one week, another rògbòdìyàn will happen and everyone will move on as if nothing happened.
Mohbad happened. People have not only moved on, but have even started dancing to another lewd music by one of those they nearly kpai-ed as his keeler.
The evangelist guy caught with his girlfriend’s severed head happened.
Doctor Abbas of Kaiama Geneal hospital happened.
We are not ready yet.
