In 1996, Owerri, the capital of Imo State, Nigeria, became the stage for one of the most horrifying crime stories in the nation’s history — the Otokoto saga. What began as the mysterious disappearance of a young boy soon unraveled into a tale of ritual killings, corruption, and public outrage that shook the city to its core. The case revolved around an 11-year-old boy named Anthony Ikechukwu Okoronkwo, who went missing in September of that year. Days later, his headless body was discovered buried in the compound of Chief Vincent Duru, a wealthy hotelier and influential figure in the city. The shocking revelation triggered an immediate wave of fear, anger, and suspicion, especially as whispers spread that the boy’s killing was linked to ritual practices carried out for wealth and influence. The gruesome murder exposed a disturbing undercurrent in society — the belief in “money rituals,” where human sacrifice was thought to bring prosperity. This cultural superstition, though...

People came out in the 1000s to protest the boys' ritual killing. They stayed around and within the hotel premises, waiting for the police to confirm that it was indeed a ritual murder while more were matching and trooping to the scene of the Ritual Murder as the news was spreading. On 19th September 1996, during the regime of late General Sani Abacha, in the city of Owerri – Imo State, an innocent 11-year-old boy named Anthony Ikechukwu Okoronkwo was murdered for Ritual purposes. The little boy was hawking boiled groundnuts, which was his daily routine. He strolled along, selling his groundnuts for peanuts to whoever wanted to buy them. When he got to Amakohia area of Owerri, his eyes lit up with joy when a customer beckoned him to approach. That ‘customer’ was named Innocent Ekeanyanwu, aged 32. The boy was called into the famous Otokoto Hotel and the little groundnut seller was visibly very excited since it was a hotel, which meant that the new ‘customer’ would proba...