Fear of ritualists
• Albinos go underground
From ISAAC ANUMIHE, Abuja
Saturday, October
11, 2008
Following a desperate manhunt for ritual purposes, all albinos
have gone into hiding for fear of their lives. These days,
they are hardly seen in the public. Where they are seen at
all, they go with escorts.
Before the recent discovery that the blood and vital parts
of albinos’ blood, which are said to bring sudden wealth,
there was a severe search for people with hunchback for same
purpose. The hunters for this human species believed that
the hump could bring wealth through a demonic manipulative
skill.
The new shift, therefore, has become worrisome, not only to
well-meaning Nigerians, but also to Jake Epelle, who has devoted
all his life to champion the cause of over two million Nigerians
who were born with pigmented eyes and skins.
As the chairman of Albino Foundation, he had fought the fight
of segregation, marginalization and discrimination against
albinos in Nigeria and in Africa as a whole. For instance,
he had sought the protection of the Inspector General of Police
(IGP) concerning this evil act. He had made the government
see the need to give free treatment to, at least, five albinos
in every teaching hospital in Nigeria and to carry out surgery
and radiotherapy on five albinos with skin cancer annually.
Recently, Epelle, who is an albino, went to the Tanzanian
Embassy to compel the government to stop the killing of albinos
in that country.
According to him, while he was busy fighting the Tanzanian
government, he did not know that he had to start from Nigeria
until his members started telling him of their experiences
in the hands of ritual killers.
Tanzanian hunters
Describing how the headhunters kill his colleagues, in Tanzania,
heartbroken Epelle said: “After killing the albinos,
they butcher them. They believe that some of their skins and
their blood are raw materials for making people rich. It happened
in 2007 and the world screamed. I kept quiet. It happened
in April 2008 and the world screamed again.
This time BBC carried it. I think what made it to be pronounced
again was a documentary on it----- which was aired internationally
and became an international issue. When we got the hint that
they were killing albinos in Tanzania, my first approach was,
if we don’t address this, it could become a Nigerian
problem. Unfortunately, I was ignorant of the fact that it
has been happening but nobody talked about it like they talked
about it in Tanzania.
“But when I called a couple of my members, they said
oh, they are already aware of it. And I suddenly remembered
I had an experience, my own personal experience. I was in
a taxi going to Ikeja and all of a sudden the guy veered off
the path he was supposed to take and I said, wait a minute,
where are you going? He said that he had to go and turn and
I said no, you don’t have to turn. Turn here right now.
He saw that I was very insistent and persistent and he turned.
Few days ago, it just occurred to me that it could be one
of those kinds of people. So, it is an issue that needs to
be addressed. So, apart from fighting it globally, we also
have taken up the matter with the Inspector-General of Police
and specifically, I have written to him and most likely we
are likely to meet soon.
All I want is a situation where he has to make a categorical
statement. I think this will also revisit the issue of Okija
because it is a national disgrace that the issue of Okija
is being swept under the carpet because nothing has been done.
I am sure the shrine is still running after they showed it
on television and we saw corpse.
“We didn’t even know that the issue has been on
ground here in Nigeria. The issue of Tanzania became a harbinger;
triggered off the consciousness and awareness of what is happening
locally. And so, members started calling and today we have
been experiencing these things. It is not a new thing, but,
however, the issue that has been with us does not mean it
shouldn’t be addressed. We have taken the peaceful fight
to the Inspector General. As we speak, my letter is on his
table. It will make a great impact for him to come out on
the issue and speak clearly that this is what the police will
do to checkmate some of these criminals.”
Marginalization
The head of the albinos also alleged some maltreatment in
the society and in the government. To the society, albinos
are rejects and the government has no regard for them even
though some of them have the requisite qualification for political
office.
He said: “There has been more of social marginalization
than political marginalization. If you look at the population
of the albinos (which is approximately two million people
in this country) isn’t it amazing that there is no department
for albinism in the Ministry of Health? As a matter of fact,
two million albinos in this country have two million skin
issues. We don’t have a department responsible for albinism
skin cancer. The Ministry of Health set up a committee. That
committee was inaugurated one day and died the next day and
it was a presidential committee. It died till date. I won’t
be surprised if the name still exists in their files. But
I am a member and initiator of the committee. We never had
a second meeting.”
Social marginalization
On social marginalization, he recalled a situation where he
had been excluded from functions and discriminated against.
“Social marginalization simply happens when we find
the issue of exclusion. When you are excluded from certain
things. When you are indirectly told not to be part of certain
things. When you directly or indirectly given the impression
that you don’t belong here you naturally feel bad. One
had gone to a party and was told that one did not belong there.
Somebody said that albinos were not welcome. That is gross
marginalization. For instance, we wrote to all the 25 banks.
We got a reply from only two. We came up with a funding project.
It is a global fund for albinism, which is a national project.
Basically, we wanted the banks to help us in actualizing this
fund project. Assuming we had written that we have six million
dollars, come and manage it for us, we will get reply,”
he said.
Is that exclusion?
Explaining further on what he means by exclusion, he insisted:
“Well, I don’t know for what reason, but when
you consistently refused to reply our correspondence, there
could be something wrong, especially when an MD of a bank
that holds our account refused us. I agree that every bank
has its policies and they have been under pressure.
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