Pants for ritual: Female customers desert underwears markets in Edo

By Usman A. Bello, Benin

Miss Osasuwa, a 25-year-old shop attendant in Benin City, the
Edo State capital now goes to work without wearing pants.

She said she no longer wore pants, especially while going out,
following the activities of young men who engage in money ritual in
the area.

Osasuwa is not the only female in Benin who has stopped wearing
pants while going out, for fear of being forced to remove it at
gunpoint.

Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that last month, a
young man in his early 20s was caught with female and children’s
pants. It took the intervention of the police to rescue him from
crowd justice.

It was also gathered that the young men started the act by
stealing babies’ pampers from dustbins, a development that forced
many women to start burning pampers after use.

It was further learnt that these young men graduated from
stealing babies’ pampers to female underwear for ritual purposes
when pampers were not yielding much dividend.

These desperate young men, it was gathered, would go to the
extent of visiting people’s houses to steal female pants. They also
block the highways and lonely streets at night, forcing young women
to part with their underwear at gunpoint.

It was gathered that while those who engage in money ritual
steal pants directly, others steal to sell to prospective buyers at
exorbitant prices.

Mr Isaac Ordia, who spoke to our correspondent on the
development, said there were many incidents where young women were
forced to remove their pants at gunpoint.

“In December last year, young men allegedly blocked Agbor road
with guns. When they stopped a vehicle, the occupants thought they
were there to rob, but surprisingly, they separated the men from
women and asked them to pull their pants and hand over to them.
After collecting the panties, they zoomed off,’’ Ordia said. He
added that the act of stealing pants for ritual purpose started in
Delta State but rapidly spread to Edo.

Our correspondent also learnt that some brave young women manage
to wear pants while going out, but they apply charcoal on it,
believing that the substance neutralizes the potency of
rituals.

It was further gathered that, having noticed that young women no
longer wear pants, those who engage in the act resorted to using
white handkerchiefs to clean the private parts female victims, also
at gunpoint.

Speaking on the development, Agatha Osas, a student said, “I
only wear pants at home. I remove it while going out and put on
jeans trousers. Since I heard that they forced some girl to remove
their pants on the road at gunpoint, I have stopped wearing pants.
But I put on tight wears while going out since it is pants they are
interested in.

Helen Juliet, a 25-year-old stylist said she still went out with
pants but mindful of walking in lonely streets at night.

“I can’t do without wearing pants. However, many young women
have stopped wearing pants because of what has been happening. They
were stealing from people’s homes, but when people became conscious
of where they hanged their underwear, they resorted to taking it at
gunpoint.

“After washing, I only hang my pants on Sundays when I would be
at home. And I have to sit down and watch till they dry and I take
them inside. I have to be very careful so that they will not be
stolen for ritual purpose,’’ she said.

Also, a 20-year-old tailor who gave her name as Edith said, “I
always put on trousers so that I can walk around without people
noticing that I am not wearing pants. Some of us now go with
charcoal because it is said to neutralise the potency of the ritual
and would not have any effect on the victim. I have to go with
charcoal whenever I am going out.’’ She lamented that the
development is making them uncomfortable and called on security
agents to do something about it.

Another young woman who preferred anonymity also
told Daily Trust on Sundaythat, “They caught one at
Agbor park with children and female pants, which he wanted to use
for ritual. You will see them riding exotic cars and you won’t know
that they are into money ritual.

“We also learnt that each pair of pants costs between N250,000
and N300, 000, depending on its efficacy. This is why young men are
involving themselves in the theft of pants.

Pants sellers lament

Our correspondent who visited some of the markets in Benin
observed that respective underwear sections, which hitherto
witnessed crowds of female customers, were no longer the beehive of
activities they used to be.

A pants seller at the Oba Market, who only gave her name as
Omoh, said things were no longer the way they used to be since the
issue of pants theft began.

“I have not witnessed it, I only heard about it. We are still
selling little by little, but not the way it was. I can tell you
that the patronage has reduced drastically since the incident
started,” she said.

Omoh, who sat in one corner of her shop waiting for customers,
lamented that they were facing hard times as a result of the
development.

Also speaking, Sivalnus Favour, 25, who also sells underwear,
said they were hoping that things would improve in the market.

“Ladies no longer patronise us. And when you give prices to the
few that come around, they will simply tell you that they are no
longer wearing pants, and walk away. It is affecting our business
negatively,’’ she said.

At Ekiosa market, a trader, Onyebuchi Aleleiwu said, “I come to
the market every day without selling anything. When there was
patronage, I would sell above N100,000 a day, but these days I come
here to keep vigil over my goods, The pants we sell at N200 here,
we learnt that  the young boys who steal them for ritual
purpose will sell it at N300,000. I used to sell over 15 dozen a
week, but now I can’t even boast of selling one dozen. Now, the
issue has become bad market for us,’’

“Since they started stealing pants, young women only pass by our
shops.”

“Late last year, I sold over 20 dozen in a week, but now, to
sell a dozen has become a problem. This used to be our peak period
as schools resumed. Parents and young women would buy many pants
and keep till schools went on holidays, but now, schools have
opened but no one is coming to buy from us. We usually get new
stocks almost every week, but the one we bought over three weeks
are still there,” she added.

Also speaking, Lucky Okhaafo, 40, who sells at the New Benin
market, said the development was also affecting the sale of tight
wears, not only pants. “I deal on wholesale, but the business has
crashed due to the development and we now struggle to make little
sales,’’ he said.

Another trader, Ogbewu Isilode lamented, “If I tell you that the
development doesn’t affect us, I would be telling lies. This is
10am and I am yet to sell anything. In the past, by this time I
must have sold over four dozen. But now, any young woman you call
for patronage will tell you that they don’t wear pants anymore. The
development is affecting our business, We trade on wholesale basis,
but now, we don’t even see anybody who would even ask for one.”