From time immemorial in Nigerian culture and history, the worship of deity was instinctively perceived by many as cultural norms handed down to others by ancestral generations who once held these practice in high esteem and also saw the need for it to transcend beyond into future generations.
And the preservation of such cultural values and norms was also to be followed by due diligence in ensuring that generations upon generations were in direct contact with the general acquisition of understanding in deity worships which often times is associated with membership of an occultic group .
The use of sorcery powers by these occultic group was another perspective which posed grave concerns as this understanding of the worship of certain important deities like “Olokun” by occultic groups often involves the deployment of witchcraft practice in performing many of its outlined roles and functions amongst members.
However, membership into these occultic groups were mainly by succession which according to certain beliefs in some communities was divinely ordained by the ancestors .
The leadership of many of the existing occultic groups derived its powers and functions from being custodians of powerful deities.
Meanwhile, succession and leadership issues into the occultic groups in time past were mainly addressed following the transfer of powers and rights to first-born child (male or female) of the spiritual leader and custodian of the deity (often times referred to as the chief priest or priestess) in a ceremonial event in the wake of the demise of the spiritual leader.
Certain cultural practice and rules in these occultic groups allowed for innocent and naive first-born sons and daughters of serving or deceased members to be initiated early enough from childhood in order to avert leadership crisis in the future in the event of unavoidable death of the leader.
In recent times in many communities in Nigeria, these rights to membership by succession are vehemently being challenged by some unwilling first-born children who for different reasons are strongly opposed to being custodians of deities in their respective communities by way of membership into any occultic groups.
However in Ibore community in Esan Central local government area of Edo State in November 2015, the demise of the chief priestess and custodian of the Olokun deity created a vaccum of leadership as well as in an occultic group popularly referred to as the Ogboni Confraternity which was previously under the leadership and control of the Omonua family in the community.
Though while rights to life and worship of a certain deity by the first-born daughter of deceased chief priestess, Isi Uwadiale were being challenged following the sudden death of her mother who held the position as Olokun priestess and custodian of a deity in the community, the onus to lead directly rested on her as the new custodian.
The hurdles to cross in becoming the new Olokun Chief priestess include membership of the occultic groups which mainly requires her to undergo the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation as a sign of her acceptabillity by the ancestors.
In most cases, when a candidate is rejected by the ancestors in the course of initiation, death is instantly prescribed to end the process for a rejected candidate.
The choice of Isi Uwadiale following the demise of the former Olokun Chief priestess in Ibore community, according to many was predestined even in the face of outright rejections by the chosen candidate owing to the cruel subjection to the crude and unsafe practice of female genital mutilation together with the total abandonment of her faith in Christianity and becoming a custodian of a deity.
Following several weeks of outright and deliberate maneuverings to outsmart members of the occultic group and the Olokun community in Ibore community in order to avoid yielding to the life threatening demands of the group, the chosen candidate Isi Uwadiale’s eventual relocation from the community was orchestrated resulting in her absconding from the community.
The recent trend in events in Ibore community over membership by succession into occultic group greatly highlights the life threatening challenges faced by several individuals who are daily compelled to seek desperate measures for their quest to stay alive in the face of gradual and steady decline into occultic savagery.
This cruel practice not only endangers the lives of the children of serving or deceased members but also causes upheaval within the immediate family and the community in general.
Families are often plunged into deeper crises when faced with demands from the deceased member’s occultic group to forcefully initiate their first-born children into these groups as highlighted in the ordeal of Isi Uwadiale whose life is in extreme danger for vehemently refusing the crude practice of female genital mutilation (circumcision) as a precondition for her installation as the custodian of the Olokun deity against her will.
Meanwhile, close sources in the community however hinted of sinister motive by local indigenes of the community to offer and sacrifice her to gods and ancestors of the land whenever she is seen and apprehended within or outside the community for her sheer display of obstinacy after her rejection of several pleas of the gods as they vowed that this would however serve as a deterrent to others in the community.
Consequently these requests of these nature are often considered without due and careful consideration of the long-term implications and the potential consequences of such fetish practice on the well-being of the individuals concerned .
