By Our Correspondent
Palpable fear and tension have again gripped the people of Owelogbo Community in Delta State, Nigeria, following the declaration of a woman, Bridget Okporu, and her child wanted by local traditional authorities over an alleged act of sacrilege.
The development stemed from an earlier incident that occurred in the community in 2015, when Bridget was accused of committing what the Owelogbo traditional institution described as an abominable and sacrilegious act on their village shrine.
Consequently, the local authorities have placed a bounty of ₦10 million for anyone who would provide credible information that will lead to the arrest of Bridget in the community.
Bridget, now a fugitive in her land was born on July 27, 1977 and she hailed from the Okporu family of Ekrogboje Street, off Ozoro Road, in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State.
Sources told our correspondent that she allegedly entered the Owelogbo deity shrine and desecrated the arena, a place strictly forbidden to women—an act said to have provoked the anger of the ancestors and custodians of the community’s traditions.
The Chief Priest of the shrine was said to have declared that her action desecrated the sacred space of Owelogbo gods and rendered its spiritual objects impotent.
To this end, an impeccable source told our Correspondent that the traditional authority, in conjunction with her father, resolved that either Bridget or her child would be used for ritual sacrifice and cleansing to appease the gods of the land.
It was further gathered that Bridget and her daughter were subsequently held and confined in a dungeon for several days.
However, her sister also known as Lizzie, reportedly intervened by bringing in a Cleric identified as Pastor John who allegedly facilitated their escape at night—a development that infuriated the members of the community.
Our correspondent further gathered that Pastor John’s church was completely set ablaze by irate youths in the community after it was discovered that he aided the escape of Bridget and her child.
Since the incident, Pastor John has reportedly not been seen, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
“They have been declared wanted, and the community is seriously searching for them,” a community source said.
As of the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of Bridget and her child still remain unknown, while concerns also persist over the safety of the missing cleric.
