From Magnus Eze, Enugu
It is becoming common for people to be apprehended and paraded publicly for allegedly manipulating the death of others within their vicinity. Such situation is prevalent in the Izzi area of Ebonyi State and also the Igbo-Eze North/South axis of Enugu State.
In fact, not a few people in these places believe that someone could through spiritual, mystical or diabolical means control the fate or destiny of another person. The process is called witchcraft and the perpetrators are usually met with grave punishment by the community. They may in worst cases be stoned to death. So, it is common for the whole community to subject perpetrators to public opprobrium including destroying their property, ostracism or banishment.
The issue came to the fore again, on January 3, when the people of Umuela village, Ibagwa-Aka community in Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area, banished a middle-aged man, identified as Uwakwe Ugwuanyi, after he was accused of being responsible for many deaths in his family.
The villagers who sang sorrowful songs, carried palm fronds as well as a mock coffin to the doorstep of Uwakwe.
They alleged that the man had a hand in the death of no fewer than five youths from the family within the last two years. These were five of his brother’s children.
A source in the village said that when people died in the family, the suspect always undertook to go to the diviners to find out what killed them.
He said that Uwakwe would always inform the villagers that his late elder brother was responsible for the deaths.
But there was a twist when another youth died in the family during the last Yuletide. Angered by the situation, the youths of the village, this time around took it upon themselves to visit another diviner, to know the cause of the death: “Our brothers and sisters have been dying for a long time now. Anytime you want to go and search for what is happening to our family, Uwakwe will say he will do that for us.
“When he comes back from the search, he will tell you that his late brother, who was his elder brother, was responsible for the death of the children; that his late elder brother had a problem with the gods; that the gods are the ones responsible for taking the life of the children.
“But the last one happened and the youths are very angry about his death. We decided to go and look for a solution together, which we did. We went to many places in search of solution and the picture of the man kept on popping up that our uncle (Uwakwe) was responsible for all the death that have been happening in Umuela village in the Ibagwa-Aka community.
“So, when we brought home what we saw, the entire village decided that he be banished from our community.”
The youths sang in their native dialect and marched around the community before terminating at their market square. Some of them painted their faces with white chalk (Nzu), chanting that they had seen their problem, indicating that Uwakwe was behind the untimely deaths in the area.
As earlier mentioned, the evil wind seems to be most prevalent in Ebonyi State with the increasing cases of people alleged to be involved in sorcery.
Daily Sun had reported that more than eight of such cases were recorded in May/June 2021 alone. The perpetrators were publicly disgraced for practicing wizardry including a purported pastor of Yahweh Kingdom Community Worldwide at Ndiechi Onuebonyi village, Obubra Junction in Igbeagu, Izzi Local Government Area of the state.
On May 18, 2021, the people of Ndiechi Onuebonyi discovered that a man they had embraced and accommodated for 11 years as a pastor was actually immersed in fetish and occult practices with a hand in several misfortunes of their people including their stagnation.
Prior to the period, there was apprehension in Obegu village, Onuebonyi Inyimagu community in neighbouring Abakaliki Local Government Area following the reported invocation and presence of the notorious Okija deity- Ogwugwuakpu-Ubahu from Ihiala, Anambra State, in the area.
The dust raised by the foregoing was yet to settle, when two other persons were nabbed for allegedly using their magical powers to wreak havoc in some communities leading to people losing their lives in questionable circumstances.
Also, on June 22, 2021, the people of Ekeru Inyimagu village, Izzi Unuhu autonomous community in Abakaliki LGA banished a farmer and father of eight with four wives; for reportedly attempting to kill nine of his kinsmen with mystical powers.
In a related development, two men were nearly lynched on November 20, 2022, at Amuzu, Igbeagu for allegedly manipulating the death of a man about 30 years ago, but for the timely intervention of a team of police officers from the Izzi Divisional Police headquarters.
On that fateful day, one of the suspects was said to have been prompted by a force suspected to be connected with nemesis as he suddenly began to tell people that he had a hand in the death of a man who died mysteriously three decades ago.
According to him, he was manipulated spiritually by his co-accused (step-brother of the deceased), who ‘wore’ his face, before committing the heinous act then.
The principal suspect in his confessional statement admitted to the crime and also revealed that he had been using the deceased’s grave as a means of spiritual transportation, by appearing in other parts of the society for assignments, once he laid on the man’s tomb.