Friday, May 23, 2025 - Issele-Uku community, the headquarters of Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, has resorted to traditional measures by laying curses on kidnappers and other criminals ravaging the area.
Each of the villages making up Issele-Uku Kingdom gathered
at the Royal Palace to carry out the 'Ine Ubi' ceremony, which entails laying
of curses on evil doers and their accomplices.
The ceremony held on Wednesday, May 21, was as a result of
the rising cases of kidnapping and killings in the community and
environs.
Members of the nine villages; Ukpai, Idumuinei, Ogbe-Ofu,
Ogbeowele, Ogboli, Idumuahaba, Ute, Ogbe-Utu and Umueze-Issei, proceeded to the
palace with their palm sticks, Bibles and chaplets in their hands, laying
curses on kidnappers, armed robbers, poisonous charm planters and general evil
doers.
At the inner chamber of the palace after a brief meeting
with the chiefs, Omu, Eze-Dibie and titled elders of the community, the
traditional ruler of Issele-Uku Kingdom, HRM Agbogidi Obi Nduka later emerged
at the front view of the palace (Ishu Uge) where he addressed the mammoth crowd
of Issele-Uku people and concerned residents on the essence of the Ine Ubi
ceremony
In an apparent anger on the faces of the participants, the
Chi-Obi of Issele-Uku Kingdom, Chief Egbo Adigwe read out the various criminal
offences by the perpetrators of evil on the land and the people hit the ground
raining curses against each of the crimes and their perpetrators.
The exercise was carried out on three different spots in the
palace before the king turned back inside, while the Ogbelani of Issele-Uku,
Diokpa Isimchei Okonkwo led others to continue the exercise towards the Afor
market place.
The monarch expressed so much disenchantment with the recent
happenings that had almost turned the ever bubbling, hospitable and peaceful
community of Issele-Uku into a fearful one.
“This Ine Ubi ceremony has become necessary and almost the
last resort in helping the community to ward off evil on the land. This is a
form of spiritual cleansing on the land, which was a method adopted by our
forefathers to curtail evil in the community whenever it becomes unbearable,”
he said.
"You all know
Issele-Uku to be a visitors' delight, loving and accommodating. We have never
been used to this kind of criminal rampage where residents are now being
abducted by kidnappers almost on regular basis.
"We don't usually apply this method of traditional
cleansing on our land where curses had to be laid on evil doers; but like I
said, it has gotten to the level where we have to be deliberate in the actions
we take to sanitize our community. We are collaborating with Government and
security agencies in seeking solutions to this menace, but at this point, we
all have individual roles to also play while collective efforts are being made
to nip the unsavoury situation in the bud.
"Government has not failed us because the wave of
insecurity is everywhere; however, my advice is that they should step up their
game, in the sense that the security and welfare of the people remains the
primary purpose of Government as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
"As part of our own role as custodians of traditions
and culture, we have placed curses on those masterminding evil and aiding evil
criminal elements on our land. We can't fold our arms to watch evil doers and
their conspirators continue to have a field day. Whatever anybody whose hands
are not clean sees in this matter, he or she should take it to be his or her
own evil consequences", Obi Nduka declared
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