NBM disclaims Kaduna suspected ritualists membership claims

The leadership of NBM (Neo Black Movement) of Africa has denied reports that seven suspected ritualists arrested by the police in Kaduna State were members of the association as claimed.

A statement by the National Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajibo Sam-Brown issued from its headquarters in Benin City, said it was not a criminal or ritualist organization but a registered Pan Africanist Organization.

The statement said “The leadership of NBM of Africa has been inundated with calls and messages from members and well-meaning organizations since the 7th day of April 2024 about defaming, libellous and malicious news against our Organization as published in Vanguard online news and also in some other unverified media outlets, news linking NBM of Africa to some suspected nine individual ritualists who were apprehended and paraded with one full jerry can of human blood by the Nigerian Police Force, Kaduna State Command.

“The news claimed that the nine-man gang of suspected ritualists claimed to be members of the ‘Neo Black Movement, NBM. Consequently, these media outfits have serially and severally in their publications linked the said suspects who were identified as Samson Ezekiel (32), Samuel Francis (27), Usman Nura (34), Gabriel Sheba (23), Haruna Sa’id (37), Bala Lukman (27) and Jabir Rilwan (37) to be members of NBM of Africa and also the news as reported by Vanguard Online news posited that the PPRO of the Nigeria Police Force, Kaduna State Command ASP Mansur Hussain reported that the suspects who were arrested at a Cemetery in Dutsen Abba Ward along the Zaria -Kaduna expressway were apprehended while initiating new members. They claimed the gang confessed to getting the human blood after slaughtering an aged man and disposing of his body along the Jaji military cantonment in neighboring Igabi Local Government Area

“We want to restate unequivocally and in clear terms that, NBM of Africa is not a criminal or ritualist organization but a registered Pan Africanist Organization; it should be noted that we do not have the said suspects in our records/register and have over time rebutted linking us (NBM of Africa) to crimes committed by members of the public.

“To this end, we hereby state uncontroverted that the arrested suspects

Samson Ezekiel (32), Samuel Francis (27), Usman Nura (34), Gabriel Sheba (23), Haruna Sa’id (37), Bala Lukman (27) and Jabir Rilwan (37) are not our members and should not be linked to our organization. We also want to restate and reaffirm that NBM of Africa is a registered and law-abiding Organization, and has no relationship to ritual killing or any secret killing group.

“Wherefore, for the umpteenth time, the leadership of NBM of Africa, warns that any media or security organization that links the organization with such spurious news will be made to face the legal consequences of their actions as our organization would no longer tolerate such blackmail or propaganda from any media or security institution, bent on tarnishing the image of NBM of Africa.”