Photo of Chief Herbalist in his shrine, courtesy Nigeria Newsdesk, Twitter.
In late 2016, according to Nigerian authorities, a killer cult group known as badoo, began terrorizing and murdering citizens in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
Lagos police arrested five suspected key members of the sect on January 2, 2018, and provided video evidence of a shrine run by Chief Herbalist Fatai Adebayo, age 34.
The killings appeared to be ritual in nature. Victims were murdered in their sleep. At one point, citizens began to suspect the killers were supernatural (and thus invincible), but according to Nigerian press, the arrest of the five suspects proves members of the group are actually human beings.
Suspects confessed to authorities that they only operated at midnight and would spray a powdery substance prepared by the herbalist that would put victims into a deep state of sleep and would then smash the victim’s head with a grinding stone.
Vanguard Nigeria reports: “The powdery substance was also sprayed close to buildings around the targeted building to avoid any intrusion during operation. Thereafter, they would smash their victim’s head with a grinding stone, and dab their white handkerchiefs in victim’s blood before leaving the scene.”
During interrogation, one of the suspects said the cult members were fortified spiritually by drinking water used to wash dead bodies, drinking animal blood, spreading an oily substance from a calabash, and abstaining from sex before murdering someone. He also claimed he was desperate for employment and was offered money to perform the killings.
Further confessions revealed the entire purpose of the operation was to obtain the blood soaked handkerchiefs of the victims and then sell the handkerchiefs to rich politicians and other elite known as the “big boys.” The handkerchiefs soaked in blood were believed to be a source of empowerment and protection and were then used to perform money rituals.
Witchcraft and black magic beliefs have recently plagued Malawi, where villagers believe bloodsuckers are stealing their blood and have formed vigilante gangs leading to suspected vampires being murdered.
The Society of Medical Doctors in Malawi is now speaking out publicly to declare the current fear of blood suckers to be a case of “mass hysteria” also known as “shared delusion disorder.”
In a statement, society president Dr. Amos Salimanda Nyaka said: “We are disturbed by the reports of thuggery that has resulted into some health workers being attacked for carrying a stethoscope. Some have had unfortunate incidences of having their vehicles smashed, and in others having their possessions taken off them for being suspected of being blood suckers, and or in pursuit of the non-existent suckers. Some ambulances have also been attacked whilst being used to ferry patients to and or from hospital.”
The society also criticized Malawi President Peter Mutharika and the Malawi media for not fully denouncing the fear of vampires as nonsense and appealing to reason. Mutharika later came out in a more direct statement to the country addressing the rumors as both a hoax and an opportunity to enter homes and rob innocent people.
President Mutharika
Since the panic began in late summer of this year, more than nine people have been killed and more than 100 have been arrested.
THE MONKEY MAN OF NEW DEHLI, 2001
A similar mass hysteria occurred in New Dehli when, in May of 2001, police began receiving inconsistent reports of a clawed entity with glowing red eyes. Some described it as feline-like, while others felt it was a monkey-man. Sometimes it was described wearing a helmet. Folks began to report unexplained bite-like injuries, scratches and bruises, and at least two people died in falls trying to escape the creature. Early on, more than 50 attacks were reported to have occurred in a single night.
Just as in Malawi, the reports in New Dehli began to spread to more and more locations. Also, like Malawi areas affected by blood sucking vampires, most residents were illiterate, superstitious, and often isolated in rural areas with no electric lighting. Also similar to the Malawi situation, there was a belief that rumors were being deliberately created by a foreign source or for a nefarious political motivation. In both cases, the police were severely taxed, forced to patrol areas to control panic as well as make those in genuine fear feel protected.
Two official drawings of Monkey Man were released to the public based on witness accounts.
While at least nine people in Malawi have been killed by mobs on suspicion of being bloodsuckers, in New Dehli an innocent four foot tall man was beaten and delivered to the police. Later, a man driving a van was beaten and suffered multiple broken bones.
At one point, a neighboring village in India reported a wolf-like Bear Man was also attacking citizens. The Bear Man would become invisible if a light were shone upon him.
Bloodsucker reports are still being dealt with in Malawi, creating panic and inspiring violence. According to a story in the Maravi Post on 10.10.17, the headline reads “Malawi legislature admits the existence of bloodsuckers.” According to the story:
Mulanje south legislature Bon Kalindo has admitted the existence of bloodsuckers in his area and has since called the authorities to take the matter as an urgent.
Speaking with a local radio, Kalindo said it sad to see that some authorities are denying the existence of bloodsuckers in Mulanje district while describing the residents’ action as primitive.
According to him, the bloodsuckers change into dogs or ghost when the community wants to deal with it.
“As a legislature of Mulanje south, bloodsuckers are indeed there and they are tormenting lives of the community,” he said.
He said he don’t believe that the soldiers and police who have been deployed to the area will manage to deal with bloodsuckers.
Kalindo further warned strangers who want to visit the district at night hours saying the will be killed by the community.
“Don’t try to visit our area at night hours, if you do that see what the community will do to you because they will suspect you as bloodsucker,” he warned.
However, the legislature denied to comment on government position that there is no bloodsuckers in the district saying “I speak for my people who are facing this problem but those denying speak for government and they have their rights.”
Meanwhile, the community has penned President Peter Mutharika to address them as well as provide security concern the problem.
Almost six people suspected to be bloodsuckers have been killed by the angry mob.
The residents believe that the bloodsuckers are sent by government or politicians thus why they are failing to deal with the problem.
Government spokesperson Nicholas Dausi put the blame on opposition parties and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for the problem.
However, President of Malawi Congress Party, Dr Lazarus Chakwera and CSOs are accusing government including President Mutharika for failing to save the lives of innocent people in the district.
Aside from mob killings, the blood sucker scare has led to a temporary withdrawal of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) workers in the affected areas. According to an update in the Maravi Post dated 10.11.17, the panic has led to the deaths of those suspected to be blood sucking vampires as well as those who may be harboring the blood suckers. There have also been road blocks, destruction of private homes and stoning of ambulances suspected of transporting these vampires.
Fears are also related to electronic or mechanical devices and villagers fear blood may be sucked through “biometrics machines,” aerial devices on vehicles and mobile phones. Some villagers are afraid to sleep indoors and suspect the blood suckers have been deployed by the government of Mozambique, or possibly their own government is involved. The population embracing the myth is generally poverty-stricken and illiterate. Some mobs use the excuse of entering a home to attack a blood sucker as an opportunity to steal. Others claim to have been “blood sucked” but physical examinations show no evidence. Some village leaders are afraid to denounce the rumors because they may be attacked as one of the vampires.
Belief in blood sucking vampires is only one myth affecting the citizens of Malawi. Fear of witchcraft is also a problem, according to published reports in Malawi’s media.
On 10.3.17, a report of spontaneous fires was described by the Malawi News Agency as occurring in the Chiradzulu communities. Reports were received of mysterious fires burning the clothes off of victims but leaving them unhurt, furniture catching on fire inside a home but leaving the home intact, and “another case involved a bag whose contents started burning whilst inside one of the resident’s house and when it was taken outside the house, all the contents inside the bag got burnt but the bag was left intact without any damage from the fire.”
On 8.23.17, the Malawi News Agency reported a villager in Chikwawa was arrested for killing his mother after she practiced witchcraft. He beat her to death with a stick “fortified with charms.”
On 8.16.17, the Malawi News Agency announced “Ntcheu ‘Resurrected’ woman taken to witchdoctor for checkups” eighteen days after her death. A family member was quoted as saying, “We have no plans to take her to the hospital since she is okay. We have taken her to the witchdoctor just because we feel its witchcraft related death, so we rely upon the witchdoctor to make Jana a normal person again.” Her sister added that the only thing different was that the resurrected woman could now speak fluent Yao, a dialect not spoken in the area.
Similarly, on 10.6.17, another resurrection occurred in Chiradzulu, this time a 14-year old girl, also attributed to witchcraft.
On 8.7.17, the Malawi News Service advised the public that the rumors circulating regarding National Identification Cards were not the “mark of the beast,” referring to the number 666. An official in the Mzimba District noted: “All our neighbours have implemented their national ID system. Why is the issue of 666 only in Malawi? Luke chapter 2 verse 1 onwards talks of Joseph and Mary going for registration in their homeland. Was that 666 as well?”
And finally, Amnesty International has drawn attention to the custom of killing albinos in Malawi. Hunting albinos for their body parts has seen a resurgence since January 2017.
STATEMENT COURTESY MANA ONLINE/THE MALAWI NEWS AGENCY
BELOW IS A STATEMENT FROM THE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY, TRADE AND TOURISM (Henry Mussa) ON THE SAME:
I wish to join my fellow Cabinet Ministers in condemning the recent acts of mob justice on fellow Malawians and the touring Belgian couple, who have been obviously mistaken as blood suckers in Mulanje, Phalombe Districts, and surrounding areas.
Stories of blood sucking in Malawi are mere rumours which have been making rounds from sometime back and should not be believed. From what I know, It takes a lot of technical expertise and skills to extract blood from a human being, including using suitable equipment and locating the blood nerves in the body, something that cannot be done just in a flash.
The prevailing vampire paranoia situation in Mulanje and surrounding areas has the potential to derail our efforts in promoting our country as a tourism destination but also as preferred destination for foreign and direct investment. No tourist or investor would like to come to a country whose citizens are attacking others due to such misguided beliefs. I would like therefore to ask and warn all those involved to stop this malpractice immediately since this practice is tarnishing the image of our beautiful country.
At this stage allow me to apologise to the Belgian couple, who were attacked at Madzeka near Lujeri Tea Estate in the early hours of 15th September, 2017, after being mistaken as the so called “blood suckers”. The Belgian couple were actually Self-Drive tourists who had been attracted to hike on our Mulanje Mountain and had been travelling from South Africa to Cairo in their 4×4 vehicle. The couple was badly injured in the brutal attack and their vehicle was also smashed. This is a very unfortunate and we sincerely apologise for the unfortunate incident.
Lastly, I am aware that the tourism players in Mulanje is very unsettled due to these disturbing stories. I would like to assure the tourism and travel industry in Mulanje, and the country in general that the Government of Malawi will step up a number of interventions to eradicate the unfounded fears of blood suckers in the District. These will include increased Police presence in the area, increased awareness on blood sucking myth, and increased security in areas that are visited by tourists.
All these interventions will be carried out by various Government Ministries and Departments such as Home Affairs, Information, Civic Education and of course traditional leaders in the areas affected.
ALLEGATIONS OF BLOOD SUCKING IN SOME PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
President Peter Mutharika: Values every life of every Malawian as very precious
While His Excellency President Arthur Peter Mutharika was attending the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York recently, he received reports of very distressing and agonizing allegations of blood sucking incidents in some parts of the country.
The President also received reports of very disturbing instances of mob justice carried on persons suspected to be connected to the alleged blood sucking incidents.
Understandably, due to these unfortunate incidents, most people have not been at peace in their communities and homes. This development has been of grave concern to The President and the entire Government.
The President has been even more deeply touched that some people have been killed for being suspected to be among the supposed perpetrators of the feared blood sucking incidents.
His Excellency President Mutharika values every life of every Malawian as very precious.
As soon as The President started receiving these reports, he directed the police to mobilise in every concerned community in order to ensure that there is enhanced security. The President also sent Cabinet Ministers, traditional leaders and requested religious leaders to reach out to the communities with sensitisation and prayers. Above all, the Government has put in place mechanisms and instituted an intensive investigation for us to get to the bottom of the matter.
Over the past week since The President returned, he has listened to the fears of the people as he met different levels of leaders who have been to the communities.
The President would like to ask the public to keep calm as the Government works to get to the bottom of the matter. The President also appeals to all concerned to remember to love one another and desist from taking the law in their hands whenever they are dealing with a suspect.
The President will personally visit the communities that have been affected. On Friday, 13thOctober, The President will visit the people of Mulanje. On Monday, 16th October, The President will visit the people of Phalombe. On Tuesday, 17th October, The President will visit the people of Chiradzulu.
The President urges all to remain united and continue believing that God did not give us the spirit of fear but the spirit of courage to stay focused in developing our country.
