Rumours of ritual murders spread on social media in the West African nation this year, with reports of corpses found with body parts removed — possibly for occult purposes

Liberian police have denied the bulk of the reports, however, and arrested a member of the political opposition accused of fanning the rumours.

On Friday, Morris Tidball-Binz, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, nonetheless urged Liberia’s government to investigate the killings.

The independent expert said in a statement that at least 10 people in Liberia had been murdered in unclear circumstances in 2021 year, “some of which have reportedly been linked to ritualistic practices”

“Investigations should fully explore all possible motivations for these killings,” he was quoted as saying

Ritual murders are not unheard of in Liberia, and were common during the country’s back-to-back civil wars from 1989 to 2003.

Body parts severed from the victim’s corpse are thought to be used in rituals designed to benefit the murderer.

However in September, Liberian Police Inspector General Patrick Sudue announced that most of the recent alleged incidents are baseless.

The same month, police arrested a member of the opposition party Alternative National Congress for posting misinformation about ritual slayings online.