A native of Ezima village in Isiala Mbano
Local Government Area of Imo State, Mr. Charles Ikegwuruka, has been
driven in a wheelbarrow into exile in his maternal home, Isu, in the
same local government.
Charles was sent into exile for dragging
his younger brother, Mr. Osiwu Ikegwuruka, to the dreaded Okija shrine
(also called Ogwugwummiri Okija) in Ihiala Local Government Area of
Anambra State.
Narrating his ordeal to Southern City
News, Charles (in his mid-50s) said his brother (Osiwu) accused him of
making his wife (names withheld) barren.
It was gathered that Charles had
consulted a native doctor, who told him that a woman in his family had a
“marine husband and child” and would not be able to bear children. The
native doctor directed that the woman be brought to the shrine for
cleansing.
“On the day of the cleansing, the native doctor took them to a river, killed a goat and strangled a fowl. He made incantations an ordered her to strip naked for a bathe in the river. Osiwu and Charles were there and watched her perform as instructed,” it was gathered.
It was, however, learnt that the cleansing failed to cure the barrenness; instead it led a crisis between Charles and Osiwu.
Southern City News gathered that the
conflict was heightened when Osiwu received a letter from the Okija
shrine, at the instance of Charles, summoning him and his wife to visit
the shrine to swear an oath.
Osiwu reported the development to his
kinsmen, who ordered Charles to withdraw the matter from Okija shrine.
But Charles told the elders that the shrine refused to approve that the
matter be withdrawn.
Charles’ kinsmen immediately resolved
that he must ride on a wheelbarrow with palm fronds tied around his neck
to his maternal home and stay there until he withdrew the matter lodged
before the dreaded Okija shrine.
“Our son (Charles) has committed sacrilege. We can’t finish resolving a matter and still take it to a shrine, coupled with other atrocities Charles has been committing,” one of the kinsmen, who chose not to mentioned, said.
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