The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Atamunu Diocese in Cross River State, Rt. Rev. Otuekong Ukut, PhD, has identified prosperity gospel, unethical practices and get-rich-quick syndrome as being responsible for the increasing rate of ritual murder in Nigeria.
The cleric remarked Wednesday in Calabar while commenting on his recent appointment to the World Methodist Council Ecumenical and Inter-religious Relationship Committee for the 2025–2029 term with LEADERSHIP.
He condemned the involvement of youths in ritual killings simply because they want to get rich quickly at all costs.
The cleric called for the intervention of leaders of thought in all the geographical regions of the nation to secure a bright future for the youth.
“You see a 19 20 -or 20-year-old boy, killing mothers, killing fathers, sometimes their friends for ritual murder just -get rich- quick.
“It’s a trend that we need to reverse. We need to give them Christ. We have allowed the prosperity gospel; today, our youths have become disillusioned.
“And so they want to get rich quickly with it, using rituals. It’s not only in Christendom; the Alfa, imams and prayer houses are also involved.
“You see our young men killing women, killing their girlfriends and friends, some killing their mothers and mothers, conniving with their girlfriends to kill their friends with the belief that they will make money”, HE maintained.
The cleric stressed that the nation’s future would be bleak if nothing were urgently done to reverse this ugly trend.
He called for the reorientation of youths so that they would know Christ and imbibe strict family and national values, making the country a better place for all to live.
“They are now going into unethical practices like ritual murder because of the get-rich-quick syndrome, which is so sad.
When asked to explain if he can play the needed role in the steering committee of the World Methodist Church, where he was recently appointed as a member.
“Without capacity, I wouldn’t have been nominated and appointed. Without a capacity, they wouldn’t have agreed and approved by the executive meeting before the letter was sent to me.
He averred that until the appointment, he had been involved in the Christian Association of Nigeria at its highest apex in Akwa Ibom State as the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria Caucus in Akwa Ibom State and also as a chairman of the advisory board, which is the highest decision-making body.
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