Juju–fetish–is something many of us don’t believe in. After all, if it were as real and effective as some claim, then many politicians wouldn’t end up with generational commonwealth, nor would police officers go scot-free for their many crimes.

But be it as it may, a community in Enugu have lost faith in Nigeria’s judicial system and resorted to getting justice the traditional way: by invoking ancestral spirits.  

On February 22, 2023, three days before the 2023 National Assembly elections, the Labour Party Candidate for the Enugu East senatorial district, Oyibo Chukwu, was assassinated on his way from a campaign. Although he was replaced by his younger brother, Kelvin Chukwu, who won the election, the community leaders are still displeased with the killing.

And to make matters worse, barely anyone in power, including Enugu’s state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has come out to condemn the act. Also, police and security agencies have refused to ascribe the death of Oyibo to politics; they’ve instead attributed the killing to the separatist group, The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). 

But, the deceased’s family insists that the killing was politically motivated, and to get justice, on April 4, 2023, community members and leaders gathered at the town’s square by 9 a.m. They “invoked the spirits of their forefathers and ancestral gods” and rained curses on those behind the assassination, the sponsors and their immediate families. 

We’ll see if this becomes a rare case where juju or karma actually punishes criminals so a grieving family can get closure. And hopefully, Nigeria will become a country that values human lives, and families won’t need to rely on supernatural methods to get justice. 

What Else Happened this Week?

Soyinka Places $1000 Bounty on Misinformation Peddlars

In the months leading to the 2023 general elections and after, misformation is an enemy everyone has had to fight. 

During an interview with Arise TV on April 5, 2023, the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, lamented that recently, some news media have been spreading fake news about him. And wanting nothing to stain his white, he has given a $1000 reward to anyone who can successfully point him to the author. 

We must understand that misinformation and propaganda can cause violent extremism, fear, and anxiety and create unnecessary panic in society. And these are things we don’t need as Nigerians right now. 

Video of the week

Question of the week

The Federal government has plans to create a portal for older persons to find jobs after retirement. What are your thoughts on this?

Ehen one more thing…

Ex-editor-in-chief of Zikoko, Fu’ad Lawal, has launched Archivi.ng with a mission to make a digital repository of 500,000 pages of Nigerian history from January 1, 1960, to December 31, 2010. Here’s why this is important.