Blood Money #emba27

Prologue

It is 1 am and Agu is lost in his thoughts. His landlord will be there in the morning to collect the 6-month overdue rent. He envisioned a better life than this. He had to do something radical to turn around his fortunes.

His world turned upside down when he lost his job a year ago. All his friends, who used to attend his fancy parties, have all abandoned him. He never thought to save because he thought the stream of income will never run dry. He also wanted to keep up with his friends who equally spent big. Now, no one would lend him money because he had no means to pay.

Kana had offered to introduce him to a fetish priest who could help with his money issues. Perhaps it was time to cash in on that offer. Agu immediately sends a WhatsApp message to Kana, “I’m in.” “Good. Let’s go now if you’re ready,” Kana responded 5 minutes later.

Agu could not believe his good fortune. He put on some clothes and left. It was convenient to leave early to avoid any confrontation with the landlord over the rent. If all goes well, he could sort him out presently, he thought. Kana picked him up at the junction with his chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz 4-Wheel drive. They drove off to a remote place to meet with the priest. Upon arrival at the shrine, Kana motioned to the attendants who seized Agu. It was then he realized that he had been deceived. Kana was not out to help him. He wanted to use him as a ritual sacrifice to sustain his wealth.

The Love of Money is the Root of Evil

Ghanaians and Nigerians will likely recognize the story in the prologue from local movies. The concept of blood money through ritual killing is a common theme. However, I want to discuss blood money from a different context.

Blood money is money obtained at the cost of another’s life or at the cost of suffering to others. This definition puts things into proper perspective. Many things can qualify as blood money by this definition. Many people want to make money at any cost regardless of the consequences.

We see this play out in various parts of our society. For example, politicians spend a lot of money to get elected to public office. Some of them are self-sponsored while others are funded by others. They use these funds to deceive poor people with lavish spending. Once in office, the politician uses his privileged position to loot public funds to recoup the “investments” made during the campaign for office.

Again, the youth are increasingly engaging in internet fraud to get rich quickly. The stakes are so high for them that, many are beginning to resort to ritual killings to increase their chances of success.

A Global Canker

This issue is not just a Nigerian issue. Everywhere you go, you will encounter issues that boil down to blood money. For instance, Cape Town, South Africa has become a dangerous place to live. This is because corrupt police officials have been selling guns to rival gangs. Consequently, the gangs go around robbing, looting, and killing innocent people.

Again, military officers seized power in some West African countries last year. Allegations of corruption in the civilian governments fueled these interventions.

We have also seen Europeans use Africa as a dumping ground for things they would not use themselves.

Wherever you look, people engage in shady businesses to make ends meet. As a society, we need to look out for each other. Some people resort to blood money because of greed, others because there is no other alternative.

Citizens can demand accountability from their government if they are not complicit in the corrupt practices.

A better world starts with you.

#emba27