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.
