Recent trends have shown that the cost of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man cannot be valued. Human life has been so cheapened that even children have caught up the evil without fear or remorse, RUTH TENE NATSA speaks to experts on the rising trend and causes:
Aside from crime-related killings such as kidnappings and armed robberies, there now seems to be a deliberate shift from domestic violence to a bestial form of killings by people seen to be ordinary members of society.
Most shocking is the story of 14-year-old Emma Chris Okogbe, a JSS 2 student of Evergreen Academy, an adopted child, who killed his (adopted) mother.
According to the teen who spoke in very fluent English, his friend who is older by a few years had informed him that he had seen his alleged mother walk out with him from an orphanage home when he was just a year old.
Following that, he had confronted the mother, who took him to a friend and confirmed the allegations.
Returning home, he and his mother had a misunderstanding over his choice of meal and she told him to leave his house and go and look for his real mother (his words).
Efforts to plead with her not to send him away failed; so, he planned to draw her attention when she didn’t know he was in the compound and pushed her to her death.
As Nigerians struggle to understand how such a young lad could think up such evil at such an early stage, the story of Timileyin Ajayi, a touted gospel singer, caught with the severed head of 24-year-old victim, Salome Adaidu, confounded Nigerians the more.
Timileyin, who confessed to the act and with overwhelming evidence of his actions following police investigations, said the victim was his girlfriend and he committed the act because she wasn’t giving him the attention he needed.
Then comes the all-time shocker of a man from Anambra State who poured petrol on his wife and mother of his five children and set her ablaze, allegedly for cheating. Rushed to the hospital, the woman eventually lost her life.
However, the most alarming story has been of a woman who allegedly murdered her house-help, for watching television with her kids. While not much information is out about this particular story, it is still a developing story.
Tracing the many trends of man’s inhumanity to his/her fellow man/woman, BusinessDay notes that the evil trend continues to rise and increase at an alarming rate and sought the views of Psychiatrists, a cleric and the Police to seek the reasons for this unfortunate growing evil.
Interestingly, society has created several excuses and blamed the rising trend on many factors which vary from poor mental health, ritual killings, poverty, loss of morals, and greed among several others.
From a psychiatric perspective, cases where individuals murder their loved ones or strangers without any reason can be complex and multifaceted says a psychiatric expert.
According to Dr. Victor Daniel, Senior Registrar, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Barnawa Kaduna, Mental Health Conditions such as Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), Psychotic Disorders, Mood Disorders and Personality Disorders all contribute to a person’s mental health condition.
In his words “Research suggests that individuals with a history of IPV are more likely to commit homicide.”
He added that conditions like schizophrenia can lead to impaired judgment, hallucinations, and delusions, increasing the risk of violent behavior.
Severe depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety disorders can contribute to impulsivity, aggression, and violent behavior as well as Antisocial, borderline, or narcissistic personality disorders can increase the risk of violent behavior due to impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, and lack of empathy.
Daniel also attributed such abnormalities to Psychological Factors, which he said include Attachment Issues, Trauma, A history of childhood trauma, abuse, or neglect can increase the risk of violent behavior in intimate relationships, Substance Abuse and Cognitive Distortions.
According to him, Insecure attachment styles, such as anxious-preoccupied or fearful-avoidant, can contribute to intense emotional dysregulation and aggression, substance use disorders can exacerbate underlying mental health conditions, leading to increased impulsivity and aggression and Distorted thinking patterns, such as possessiveness, jealousy, or a sense of entitlement, can contribute to violent behaviour.
The Psychologist further noted Neurobiological Factors and socio-cultural factors which he said include Brain Structure and Function, Neurotransmitter Imbalance as well as Cultural and Social Norms, Societal norms that perpetuate violence, masculinity, or dominance can contribute to the development of violent behaviour, Access to Firearms and Poverty and Socioeconomic Factors among several other factors.
To prevent such debilitating mental conditions, Dr Daniel recommended Early Intervention, Relationship Counseling, Anger Management and Community-Based Programs
In his words “Identifying and treating underlying mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and trauma can help prevent violent behavior.
Implementing community-based programs that address sociocultural factors, such as masculinity norms and access to firearms, can help prevent violent behaviour.
“It’s essential to note that each case is unique, and a comprehensive evaluation by a mental health professional is necessary to understand the underlying factors contributing to violent behaviour,” he said.
Religious perspective:
Reverend Adedamola Oluwafemi, speaking from a religious and biblical perspective, quotes the book of Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV, that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? Genesis 6:5 NKJV
The Cleric noted that the natural man is intrinsically wicked. No human can perfectly predict his tendency under circumstances that reveals his weaknesses.
He said: “Humans are prone to wicked reactions when the areas of their deficiencies are touched.”
He further notes that wickedness is a deficiency of a weak soul, adding that when reasoning is poor, the judgement cannot be noble, hence, a wicked reaction. “A wicked man is a victim of his unrefined nature.”
The cleric, who stated that “Wickedness is also a product of lustful obsession, quoted the book of II Samuel 11:2, 4-5, 15 NKJV, stating that “When a desire becomes obsessive fulfilling, it becomes aggressive.
“A man who kills another man for money ritual is obsessed by his desire to be rich; at that point no sacrifice is too high to pay, a mother best friend even a wife can be the unfortunate object to be substituted for the desire.
“Wickedness sometimes is avenging an inflicted pain, he said, stating that the blind pursuit of justice births wicked options.”
Adedamola also quoted, II Kings 9:7 NKJV, noting that vengeance is another factor.
“There is a desired measure of pain that satisfies an avenger; hence he designs a pattern that soothes his cravings. A man who butchers another man alive probably wants to see him die slowly. Wickedness is a design that justifies the degree of pain the avenger is avenging,” he said.
“A silent angle to wicked acts is part of protecting the image. When a secret is involved, a wicked could prefer to silence the probable person who can expose the secrets. Most wicked acts are to cover a prior wicked act. Some people want to protect their reputation when they have messed up their identity. They want to be seen as good despite their hidden atrocities. Anyone who is capable of revealing their identity will spoil their reputation. Their natural option is to destroy the loophole.”
He further added that nobody has a greater tendency for wickedness than power seekers.
“Power demands huge sacrifice most of which are blood-related. The idea behind wicked sacrifices is that a power seeker must be schooled to be mean. He must kill the voice of the soul and deaden his conscience. The more callous-minded a person is the more he can access and manage diabolic powers. Most positions are bought by blood and retained by same,” he said.
Adedamola maintained that jealousy, envy and competition are other factors enabling wickedness. “Anyone who cannot stand the progress of another will be wicked. Until you are self-adequate you will be threatened by the success of another person. Envy is a bitter instigation to see another man come down or die. A competitive mindset also wants to always have the way and be on the stage. When someone else is reigning, a competitive spirit can kill whoever stole the show.”
BusinessD’say efforts to get reactions from the Police on their findings on what causes the rising tide in man’s inhumanity to man failed as calls and messages to the Police Force Public Relations Officer remained unanswered.
However, with this rising evil, it is time for parents to begin to inculcate the values of respect for human life in their children, while schools from Primary/Secondary schools begin to teach the value of patience and hard work.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA), must also seat up to its responsibility of creating a conscientise society to protect against the current get-rich-quick syndrome common in society and also teach the young ones that there is no shortcut to wealth.
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