in igboland a widow must married her late husband brother.

The study area is Ozubulu, the headquarters of Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State in Nigeria. It is a rural community in the heart of Igbo tribe, and most of their cultural practices are typical of the Igbo tribe in south-east Nigeria. Ozubulu town has a population of 36,000 inhabitants.14 Most of the inhabitants of the area are Christians of the Catholic and Anglican denominations, with the Catholics forming 75% of the population.15

In spite of the 90 years of contact with western education and Christian religion, widowhood rites and practices considered to be dehumanising are prevalent in the area.7,16 In recent times, there have been conflicts between families, traditional and religious groups when some of the rites and practices are being enforced, especially when working class or fundamental Pentecostal groups are involved. Such conflicts sometimes result to open verbal and physical violence even at the places of burial, resulting in disruption of social activities, ostracisation and sanctions among disagreeing groups. Apart from affecting community life, the widow is the centre of the crisis, a situation that worsens her physical and mental state.

Ozubulu town is in Nnewi Diocese in both the Catholic and Anglican churches. Ozubulu is also the headquarters of Ozubulu deanery of the Catholic Diocese. The Catholic Church has four statutory organizations. the Catholic Men Organisation (CMO), the Catholic Women Organisation (CWO), Catholic Boys Organisation (CBO) and the Catholic Girls Organisation (CGO). The four statutory bodies coordinate the activities of men, women, boys and girls respectively and membership into an appropriate group is mandatory for all Catholic laymen.

The Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) is structured hierarchically such that there is an apex executive committee at the Ozubulu Parish level, and the zones at the village levels. Each zone sends delegates or officers to the apex or central executive during their quarterly meetings. A general meeting of all the women holds every year in August - the popular "August meeting". All Catholic women of Ozubulu living in towns outside Ozubulu form zones wherever they live and attend meetings as in the home zones. They are classified as CWO Abroad. This organisational structure ensures grassroot membership and participation.

Between January and June 2000, four major conflicts and events precipitated the CWO interest in and action on widowhood practices. On one occasion, a widow was alleged to have maltreated her husband and had not taken good care of him when he was on his sick bed. The umu ada (the daughters union) accused her of being responsible for her husband's death, and ruled that if the woman was contesting, then she should prove her innocence by drinking the washings of her husband's corpse. Where she refused to drink, she would be ostracised and dragged along the streets to her father's house. This is an accepted traditional practice (igu mmiri ozu). Another option was for her to crawl over her husband's corpse (ige ukwu ozu). The women relations of the widow and some CWO members at the funeral resisted this and conflict ensued.

Another case involved a young widow working in a bank in Lagos. She was required to restrict her movement and not go for work for six months. She was to be in the village, confined to the compound in mourning dress. The widow explained that she would loose her job and disrupt her children's schooling in Lagos. The community sanctioned her for breaking the traditional norm of not mourning her husband for the customary duration (ilu uju). The umu ada fined her the sum of N 10,000.00 and compelled her to stay at her father's house for one month as a punishment.

In the third event, the umu ada refused to shave the head of the widow because they alleged that she did not show enough sorrow that her husband died. They alleged that she was conversing freely and even smiled with sympathisers. It was a taboo for a widow to laugh or look cheerful when her husband has not been buried. She was appropriately fined for the misdemeanour. Not shaving one's hair for the husband is a sign of not mourning him and is feared to attract the dead husband's wrath on the widow and other members of the family.

The fourth event was that of a widow who died six months after her husband's death. The Christian community gathered for her burial and funeral, but other members of her village resisted and insisted that the woman should be thrown into the evil forest without mourning for her since she committed an abomination by dying before the end of the traditional mourning period.

Materials and Method

The study was carried out from January to December 2001. In-depth interviews, group discussions, participant observation and records from meetings were used to elicit needed information. One of the authors serves as the chairman of the parish council and a member of the town union executive, a position that got him involved in the dynamics of advocacy employed by the women. The second author is an active member and executive member of the CWO and was one of the core actors in the programme. Minutes of the discussions in ten meetings of the CWO with regard to widowhood practices were recorded. Thirty in-depth interviews of the officers of the CWO at various levels, twenty five in-depth interviews of widows and ten in-depth interviews of women elders were conducted. Fifteen informal group discussions were also recorded. These were recorded on tapes and hand notes and later transcribed and compiled. Notes on the minutes of the meeting of the CWO were kindly made accessible by the secretary. The researchers attended burials and some of the meetings where most of the events occurred and took notes.

Evaluation

The activities of the women were evaluated as a social and health mobilisation activity using the community action cycle process framework developed by Health Communications Partnership, and the John Hopkins Population Information Programme13 (Figure 1). The community action cycle process is drawn from theories and concepts of social science systems approach, which has been defined as a process of public and private dialogue through which people define who they are, what they want and how they can get it.13 The success and sustenance of the programme were also evaluated one year after the inception using the monitoring and evaluation reports of the women groups and personal observations of the researchers, who lived in the community.

Results

Preparation to Mobilise and Organising the Community for Action

The central executives of the CWO held six meetings between July and December 2000 to deliberate on widowhood practices in the area. Eighty to one hundred members were present in each meeting and were made up of represen-tatives or delegates from the zones within and outside the community. They had brainstorming sessions where they relived and narrated experiences of widowhood. They agreed that it affected their physical and mental health and infringed their human and reproductive rights. They identified the principal dehumanising widowhood rites and practices to include the following:

[b]Drinking washings from husband's corpse to exonerate wife from accusations of killing her husband.
Crawling over husband's corpse (ige fe ukwu ozu) for the same purpose of exoneration.
A widow not having a bath until after eight market days (one month) when she would be led to the river by twelve midnight to bathe (iwu ahu).
A widow having to sit on bare floor during the period of mourning.
A widow having to cry aloud to the hearing of the villagers almost all nights to demonstrate grief and that she misses her husband throughout the first month of mourning.
Restriction of the woman's movement to market, church, social events for the one year period of mourning.
Loss of right of inheritance, if she has no male child.
Compulsory fasting on the day of her husband's burial.
Punitive refusal to shave the widow's hair by the umuada.
Long mourning and restriction period.
Wife inheritance or forced marriage by close relatives at the end of the mourning period.
Stigmatising a widow who died within the mourning period and refusing her corpse burial rites.
The women also observed that women are the victims, perpetrators and enforcers of the sanctions. The patrilineal daughters (umuada) are the key perpetrators and enforcers who most of the time are prejudiced against their dead relations' wives for past disagreements or misunder-standings. They see the widowhood period as a time for vendetta. The women reasoned that umuada are not faceless people but members of the women group, and an umuada in her father's village could one day be a widow in another village. It is therefore women fighting women and, therefore, they must collectively stop the practice for the benefit of every woman.

The women identified fear and superstition as another obstacle to eliminating widowhood practices. There are beliefs that the spirit of the dead husband hovers around and would want to continue to associate with the wife. The spirits might be malevolent if the widow does not subscribe to widowhood rights. The women resolved to tackle this issue through prayers and by keeping widows company to strengthen and encourage them and by educating them that most often all the beliefs are superstitious. [/b] Planning Together

The executive body wanted all the identified practices, except loss of right of inheritance and wife inheritance, to be eliminated. They reasoned that taking up these two issues would jeopardize their chances of achieving others, since they are core cultural practices that touch on customary law. They agreed that these two issues could be tackled later if they succeeded with the first initiative. In their conclusive meeting, they resolved as follows:

To reduce the mourning period to six months.
To reduce confinement to home to one month.
Widows should have the option of wearing black or white as mourning dress for not more than six months. Widows should however not wear necklace, earrings or coloured dress.
Laws stipulating not bathing and ritual bathing should be abolished.
On no account should widows drink washings from the dead husband's corpse.
Widows who die within the customary mourning period should be accorded full burial rights.
Christian women of every zone should shave the widow as soon as her husband is buried, and should not allow the umuada to do the shaving so as not to givem the opportunity to victimise or prescribe fines.
Widows should comport themselves and avoid sexual activities that could make them pregnant while mourning their husbands.
Zones that go against these recommendations should be penalised.
Acting Together/Implementation Advocacy

Advocacy with religious leaders

Having taken these decisions, the next line of action was advocacy. The women group proceeded to meet the parish priests and parish councils, who are the governing bodies in the churches, to solicit their support and encouragement.

Advocacy with town union and traditional leaders

The town union also has a women wing. Most of her members are also actors in the CWO programme. They collaborated with CWO delegates to win the support of town union leaders. The support of the Obi-in-Council, comprising the town warrant chief and his cabinet, was also solicited.

Networking with other women groups

The CWO met with other women groups in other religious denominations, namely, the Anglican Guild and the Mothers Union, and the women wing of the Ozubulu Development Union (ODU). These groups simultaneously initiated widowhood practice reforms. The idea that widowhood practices is tantamount to women punishing women was well assimilated and used as a strategy to overcome resistance from the umuada and other women.

Handling opposition

In anticipation of opposition from the men and some influential community leaders, some of the outspoken ones were conferred with titles of patrons of the CWO. Through this induction they won them over as advocates and supporters even before the resolution was made public. This strategy was the foremost in forestalling resistance to change especially from the men folk. There were however few oppositions from elderly women who insisted that they would mourn their husbands for not less than one year, and did not support the wearing of white clothing for mourning. The CWO considered this a generation gap issue, which will fizzle away and granted them a silent concession

The Igbo do that?

proof please or sharapp

lmao you gals shld stop pretending, 4 real you dont know?
they made a movie abt it along time ago(cant remember the name)

it almost happened to my aunty. When her husband died hes family pple told my aunt to drink the water used to wash her husband's body. Mehn it wasnt funny, my grand mother brought the house down. no be small war o! hehe* the disadvantages of inter-ethnic marriage

Stemming violence against women
• Tuesday, Jan 8, 2008
[b][b]For Mrs Amina Nwachukwu, from Kaduna in the northern part of the country, getting married to her heartthrob, Sylvanus Nwachuwku, an Igbo from the east, was not easy.

Her mother refused to give in to her wish to marry a ‘’total stranger’’, while the father disowned her.

Against the wish of the parents and many relations, Amina had her way.

But what happened to Amina after her spouse died last year made her wish she had listened to her parents.

As part of the Igbo tradition, she was forced to drink from the water used to wash her husband’s corpse.

She was also forced to sleep with the corpse to prove that she had no hand in his death.

Amina’s experience is just one of the many abuses which women suffer in many parts of the country[/b].

Last year, 14-year-old Nike Olawo suffered a worse form of abuse while staying with her mother and stepfather.

By her account, Nike, who resides in Lagos, was repeatedly raped by her stepfather until she fell sick and was diagnosed to be HIV positive.

Elsewhere, 12-year-old Zainab Ali was forced to marry a 55-year-old man chosen by her parents.

She got pregnant a few months after the marriage but could not have a normal delivery because her pelvis was too small.

Zainab later died of birth complications resulting from ‘’obstructed labour’’ after her husband refused to endorse a Caesarian operation.

In other climes, these experiences may sound bizarre, but they are common occurrences in the country where the woman goes through all forms of physical and mental abuse.

According to Mrs Joy Ezeilo, the executive director, Women’s Aid Collective (WACOL), violence against women is often explained away as demands of tradition and culture.

“The sad thing about such incidents is that these forms of abuse are inflicted on the victims by persons very close to them.

‘’Spouses and even blood relations daily subject the women to untold hardship and physical abuse in the belief that they are doing the right thing,’’ she says.

Daily, the media carry pictures of women inflicted with one form of violence or the other in the name of harmful traditional practices and other human rights violations.

Among common forms of violence against women in the country are rape, wife battery, female genital mutilation (FGM) as well as forced and child marriages.

Others include acid attacks, harmful widowhood rites and the denial of inheritance rights.

Some of these violations have resulted either in the maiming of the victims or premature death.

Records also show that early marriages result in Vesico Vaginal Fistula, while such young women are easily divorced by the usually elderly husbands.

‘’Unfortunately, the society looks the other way while the lives of these young girls and women are being ruined daily,’’ says Altine Ahmadu, a social welfare worker in Karu, FCT.

For analysts, the situation is puzzling because Nigeria is a signatory to many regional and international instruments aimed at protecting the woman.

Among these instruments are the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination of All Forms of Violence Against Women (CEDAW) and the UN Child Rights Convention.[/b]
Others include the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, the Protocol of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

According to Ezeilo, these protocols, if fully implemented, will minimise the dangers women face on a daily basis.

Ezeilo, who attended a meeting of NGOs as part of the 42nd session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Congo Brazzaville, decries the lack of statistics on harmful practices in many African nations.

‘’These harmful practices go on every moment but it is easy to deny them because they are hardly recorded,’’ she says.

The rights campaigner wants member states to domesticate these treaties aimed at criminalising and punishing all forms of violence and discrimination against women.

As a body with an observer status at the African Commission, WACOL has advised the commission to work closely with NGOs to monitor the governments’ implementation of  the African Charter on Human Rights.

WACOL has also suggested that 2008 be dedicated to a continental campaign against harmful traditional practices, especially FGM.

Worried by the rampant cases of such abuses, UNIFEM has established a UN Trust Fund in support of actions to eliminate violence against women.

The Trust Fund, instituted in 1996, has been supporting the effective implementation of national laws, policies and plans of action on ending violence against women.

NGOs in Nigeria have continued to benefit from the Fund. Major beneficiaries include Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre and WACOL.

On successes recorded so far, the outgoing UNIFEM Regional Director, Ms Florence Butegwa, recently said that the Fund had made much impact in redressing violence against women in Nigeria.

‘’Several outcomes are already visible here. For instance, a great number of police stations have now established special units to handle cases of violence against women.

‘’We have also been able to raise  significant awareness on the scourge in rural communities,’’ she says.

Butegwa says the UN is determined to support the growing number of people who daily raise their voices to demand an end to violence against women.

‘’We want to sustain this tempo until the issue becomes a top priority for those in authority,’’ she says.

But analysts say that efforts to end violence against women can only succeed if some sections of the statute books that legalise such violence are expunged.

One section often mentioned is the portion which states that a wife can be chastised by the husband as long as he does not inflict bodily harm on her.

The analysts also say that sanctions for rape are not stiff enough to deter potential rapists.

They want the country to respect international instruments and conventions to which it is a signatory, especially the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action.

At the Beijing conference, participating countries agreed to adequately protect women against all kinds of violence.

Women Affairs Minister Saudatu Bungudu agrees that tackling the problem of violence against women is a challenging task.

‘’It calls for adequate funds and total commitment at all levels of governance,’’ she says.

The minister says the situation also calls for more awareness among the populace as well as the monitoring of the impact of interventions.

She promises that government will work toward protecting activists and the victims of violence.

‘’I will like to call on all stakeholders to sustain the efforts, while some of us will provide the leadership till we succeed in ending violence against women,’’ she says.

Bungudu also harps on the need to include child and women’s rights in school curricula as well as the need to eliminate harmful traditional practices.

To ensure success, experts suggest that education for girls be made free and compulsory at all levels.

They also want NGOs to work closely with government in monitoring the implementation of various conventions on women’s rights.

With more violence against women being reported daily, analysts are urging stakeholders to sustain efforts to stem the trend.

They equally canvass for safeguarding the Nigerian woman against all forms of violence so that she can contribute positively to nation building.

[b][/b]

Yussuf writes for NAN.

*comfort:

in igboland a widow must married her late husband brother.

stick to copy and paste since it's obvious the schools in Yenegoa are no good

I asked you to prove that this rare practice was more common with Igbos and you failed.
do you know where Ozubulu is,how prevalent this is in Ozubulu talk less of Igboland as a whole?
I am Igbo
I had never ever heard or witnessed such until last year here on nairaland when someone,a Yoruba girl made mention to spite Igbos and we used google to find out it also happens in Yorubaland, Rivers state, amongst Binis (mainly) and several other places.
The individual who brought it up  (having seen it on nollywood) had no clue the same thing obtained in Yoruba land if not she would have never said so.
That's how rare such practices are.
If you were sincere in your google search,paste all the news items you found on that topic and prove me right.
This was extensively discussed last year,I hate to go back on old threads so enjoy your search.

.   A.  Blood and Oil: Testimonies of Violence from Women of the Niger Delta.  NDWJ carried out a research investigating violence against women by the Nigerian State and multi-national oil companies. The project covered 13 communities across the delta over a period of three weeks including[b] Ijaw, Ogoni, Ikwerre, Egi, Umuechem, Isoko,Itsekiri and Ilaje among others.[/b] The Niger Delta has been intensively militarised over the past 10 years during which period communities have been brutalised and destroyed by security forces and suffered untold environmental damage by multinational oil companies.
The research sought to give voice to the many women who have been victims of violence ranging from
beatings, rape, bestiality, destruction and theft of property and crops to fear and intimidation.

B.     EFFECTS OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION (FGM) NDWJ also carried out a research on the effects of female genital mutilation on women. Rural communities in the delta still practise the act of mutilating
women's genitals with the excuse of initiating them into womanhood. The research aimed to convince the
perpetrators of FGM that the practise is harmful to the health of the women and is a violation of women's
right to health and her sexuality. It is a compilation of victim's experiences. And we gathered during the
research that 4 adolescent female children died as a result of FGM in 1999 in Erema community. This
research was carried out in Rivers State.

C      WIDOWHOOD RITES
This was a research into the various ways in which women are subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment
in the name of mourning a deceased spouse, by their various customs and traditions.

The above is from the Niger delta women for justice

http://www.ndwj.kabissa.org/AnnualReport/annualreport.html

could you believe there are ills in your area?

violence ranging from
beatings, rape, bestiality

,

@ comfort do you know what bestiality means?
Ijaw women having sex with domesticated animals
That is an Ijaw culture abi?
you want to sling mud,get ready

2004
Aka Ikenga-Ohanaeze Retreat at Asaba:
Part 5 of 6

The Rule of Law for the Emancipation of
Women and Children

Author:
Oyibo E. Odinamadu (Mrs.)





 



I. THE BRIDE-PRICE LAW
[b]
The Bride-price Law of Eastern Nigeria 1956 also set the Marriageable Age at 16 years of age. It also fixed the amount of money to be paid as bride-price.   The people did not like this Law and ignored it because they like to bargain for the bride-price as if for a commodity or chattel.



II. PROHIBITION OF CHILDHOOD MARRIAGE LAW



Prohibition of Childhood Marriage Law prohibits Childhood Marriage in Nigeria. Because this Law is totally ignored by both the parents and the men who want to betroth young girls, Childhood Marriage is still condoned, not only in Igbo land but in the whole of Nigeria, in this day and age. But to make a very bad case worse, Nigerian Family Law regards any girl who is said to be “married”, no matter her age, as an adult. This is regardless of the fact that the age for adult suffrage or the right to vote in Nigeria is 18 years. See 136. The Legal Status of Women In Nigeria by Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi and Biola Akiyode-Afolabi (Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi, WILDAF Nigeria National Co-ordinator, & Biola

Akiyode Afolabi, Executive Director WARDC.



Most of the young girls betrothed this way become pregnant at the very onset of their puberty, and are left to carry the pregnancies. Above all, they are left to bear the babies without proper medical attention and without Caesarean Section.

On account of child marriage, many of such girls and their babies die from fistulas and other complications. This is a measure of the callousness with which the men who are said to have married them and the society treat these young girls. That the Igbo allow the practice of Childhood Marriage to go on when the girls are not physically and biologically developed for procreation is a crime committed against Igbo women and against humanity. Here The Aka Ikenga Ndi Igbo and the Oha Na Eze Ndi Igbo should show their relevance in Igbo land, Igbo culture and Igbo civilization by seeing to it that these Laws are obeyed.





III. LAW PROHIBITING OSU AND ORU CASTE SYSTEM AND THEIR STIGMA

The Osu and Oru caste system is found mostly in the Southeastern and South-central Nigeria called Igboland or Igbo society. This affects women very much in that it is a descent-based discrimination which seriously affects the choice of partners for marriage. It is similar to that faced by the Dalit of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Burakumin of Japan, minorities in the US, Apartheid in South Africa (before 1994) and the color-caste system in Guyana. There are many versions of oral history (and little information) on the origins of the Osu and Oru caste system in Igboland. The paucity of information in this area is, in part, due to the fact that some people erroneously believe that one cannot change the attitude of the society toward the Osu and Oru system, and on another part, because the issue is not politically palatable. In other words, nobody wants to be associated with it for fear of being ostracized by their community (Isaiah Ilo 1992; Obi 1994; Dike 2003).



The Osu is a person sacrificed or dedicated to the gods in the Igbo community to appease the gods. Thus, an Osu and Oru is a sacrificial lamb (except that they are not slaughtered; they are kept for service to the deity). (Anoka 1991; Dike 1999, August 8-12, 2002, & 2002), a child, slave or property of a god or a deity (Obi 1994). However, in Chinua Achebe’s popular Things Fall Apart, the plights of an Osu and Oru (an outcast) in Igboland are vividly and pitifully portrayed. He notes that an Osu and Oru is: a person dedicated to a god, a thing set apart - a taboo forever, and his children after him. He could neither marry nor be married by the freeborn. He was in fact an outcast, living in a special area of the village, close to the Great Shrine(1959, p.156).



The Osu and Oru Caste System affects the man as well as the woman equally in the society. This is the major reason why Ndi Igbo make extensive inquiries about the young man or young woman and their families, initially, before ever any negotiations for marriage is undertaken. If any links to the Osu and Oru Caste is found, even remotely, the idea of marriage is called off completely. But if the man and woman concerned would decide to go ahead with it, they would be doing so completely at their own risk. The risks in such cases is ostracism by the non-Osu and non-Oru families and kindred. Even though a free-born, he and she and their descendants, would become Osu and Oru wholly and entirely by that marriage. Some of such people either do not marry, or they marry people of the same caste.

Some young men are known to have committed suicide on account of the stigma, which status can be acquired by Birth, Marriage and Inheritance. The act of discrimination violates people’s human rights by dehumanizing them through the practices of discrimination and segregation. Certain parts of Igbo land, such as those of the Mid-West, do not have the Osu and Oru caste system. 



The Law passed in 1956 by the Eastern Nigeria Government has been neglected and disregarded. The Law Enforcement Agencies operators are themselves afraid of becoming tinted with the caste system and therefore, steer clear of it. It becomes a question of: Who will bell the cat? This means that the people affected and the society in general are not being protected by the rule of law. The challenge of finding ways and means for eradicating the Osu and Oru caste system and their stigma is another one that is starring the Aka Ikenga Ndi Igbo and the Oha Na Eze Ndi Igbo starkly in the face.





IV. LAW PROHIBITING FEMALE GENITAL CIRCUMCISION



This Law which was passed by the Federal Government in 2002 prohibits Female Genital Circumcision. There is no earthly reason why the girl-child should be circumcised in Igbo land or anywhere. The practice is carried on only for the reason of the self-aggrandizement of men; for the sadistic reasons of curbing the sexual appetites of women; and from keeping them from imagined promiscuousness. I wonder how the excessive sexual appetites of men, Igbo men inclusive, and their promiscuousness are curbed? Do women become promiscuous or prostitute by themselves or with themselves? Is it not obvious, as Ndi Igbo say, that wherever a Masquerade is talking that there is a human being (a man) there?

[/b]
This only goes to say that wherever there is a promiscuous or prostitute woman, that there are men there also! Igbo men should, therefore, stop piling all their faults on the girl-child and women and oppressing them for those reasons. Female Genital Circumcision or Female Genital Cutting or Mutilation, as it is described sometimes, comes in about four different forms. To say the least, female circumcision in whichever form is wicked; sadistic; unsympathetic; non-empathetic; non-compassionate;  oppressive, suppressive and a crime against womanhood and humanity, which should be stopped with immediate effect. This should be done, if for no other reasons, for the fact that it is deadly in the child-bearing life of such women; and also in obedience to the Federal Law prohibiting and abrogating the practice in Nigeria. Period!    



V[b]. PUNITIVE WIDOWHOOD PRACTICES



This is another wide-spread practice in Igbo land, which should be stopped with immediate alacrity, to borrow a leaf from Zebrudaya, Okoroigwe Nwogbo, alias 4:30. Why should a woman be made to suffer so much and some die as a result of such punishments, because she lost her husband by death? This is a time when she deserves much sympathy and empathy and co-operation. But men are not made to suffer like that when their wives die. Why should it be assumed that the woman killed her husband, while the same assumption is not extended to men when their wives die? Why should it be assumed that a woman would want to kill the man she married, and with whom she has children and is building a family and home, and the same suspicion is never extended to men when their wives die?



Some of such acts of punishments and atrocities committed on widows include:

making the woman drink some of the water used in bathing the body of her dead husband;

sit on the bare floor or, at best, on a straw-mat or mattress;

sit in a position where she would be looking at the body of her husband laid in state, overnight, until it is taken away for burial;

not to sleep on a bed throughout the mourning period of six months to one year;

shave off her hair, wear rags, eat, drink and bathe in secrecy;

eat and drink and bather only from old and broken vessels;

not to eat from food items provided for her husband’s funeral ceremonies;   

to accept a substitute husband, if still of child-bearing age, and not to become pregnant otherwise, during the period of mourning;

not to look out to see what is going on for the funeral ceremonies of her husband;

not to talk aloud or travel beyond a certain distance during the mourning period;

to know that her own monies and properties belong to her husband;

to hands-off all monies, moveable and immovable properties of hers and her husband’s;  The woman, if she unfortunately does not have a child, is sent away as soon as her husband breathes last. Some of such women are not even allowed to participate in the funeral of their husbands.   

If the woman has only girl-children and does not have a male child, she could be allowed to stay in the worst type of shelter, and at the pain of losing all the family possessions;

she would also be starving with her daughters; there is also the danger of

having her daughters married away very young, with or without her or their consent.

[/b]
SILENCE BY MEN: A CONSPIRACY AND CONNIVANCE



These discriminatory practices are not applied to men at all. In fact men have it very easy. They have a field-day. Some men have actually confessed of spotting their subsequent wives from among the girls who came to sympathize with them on their bereavement of their wives. The men also have a choice as to what to do to mourn their wives, if any. They are even comforted for losing their wives and are pampered by the same Umuokpu ma obu Umuada who punish the widows. I know that the retort to this statement would be that it is the Umuokpu ma obu Umuada who perpetrate those atrocities on their fellow women. But that is not altogether true, because men are behind the Umuokpu ma obu Umuada who carry on the practices, even if by remote control. After all, the Umuokpu ma obu  Umuada are the kindred-sisters of the men – dead and living. Therefore, the kindred brothers use their kindred sisters as willing tools to carry out their nefarious acts of violence on their wives and widows.



Besides, the silence of men in these circumstances means connivance. After all, it is men who are being mourned. If the living men do not like what was happening to the wives of their dead relations and friends, they should have protested and spoken out, loud and clear. Ndi Igwe, Ndi Igwe-na-Ndi Ichie, and the Town Unions should abrogate these practices and call the Umuokpu ma obu Umuada to order at attention. These local and cultural legislative bodies should do this. They can do it. To say that they cannot is, again, a ruse, a deception and the passing of the buck! Ndi Igbo have a saying that: Nwam akalia-m bu aghugho, that is to say that: the expression that my child is beyond my control is a trick or a connivance! I am not looking forward only to the State Governments of Igbo land to enact the laws prohibiting Punitive Widowhood Practices, but I lay the onus for the practices on the men, and the responsibility to persuade Ndi Igbo to obey the existing laws and to have new and progressive ones enacted, on Aka Ikenga Ndi Igbo na Oha Na Eze Ndi Igbo to abrogate these and other such obnoxious practices in Igbo land, and really make it happen and work. Some States, like Enugu State, have already enacted the progressive law, and they are, hereby, congratulated. Let the other States of Igbo land follow suit and place themselves squarely on the path of the emancipation of women.            





VI. DISINHERITANCE OF WIVES AND DAUGHTERS IN IGBO CULTURE



The Disinheritance of the Girl-child And Women In Igbo Culture is, in effect, the disinheritance of Daughters and Wives, who are the very people that should be considered first. The case against the Omenana of disinheriting daughters and wives, more so widows in Igbo Culture, cannot be more succinctly put than by Justice Niki Tobi, in his lead judgment in the Anambra State Appellate Court, on 10th April 1997. This was when he showed a change of heart and leadership, by taking the bull by the horns. He came up with a pioneer and landmark decision, in the Mojekwu vs Mojekwu Case, in the Nnewi Oli-Ekpe Appeal Case, appealed from the lower Court. In the judgment, which was clearly in favor of the girl-child and women, he wrote:



“All human beings – male and female - are born freely, without any inhibition on grounds of sex; and that is constitutional.  Any form of societal discrimination on ground of sex, apart from being unconstitutional, is antithetic to a civil society built on the tenets of democracy, which we have freely chosen as a people. We need not travel all the way to Beijing to know that some of our customs, including the Nnewi “Oli-Ekpe” custom,  relied upon by the appellant,  are not consistent with our civilized world in which we all live today, including the appellant.  In my humble view, it is the monopoly of God to determine the sex of a baby and not the parents.  Although the scientific world disagrees with the divine truth, I believe that God, the Creator of human beings, is also the final authority of who should be male or female.  Accordingly, for a customary law to discriminate against a particular sex is to say the least an affront to the Almighty God Himself.  Let nobody do such a thing.  On my part, I have no difficulty in holding that “Oli-Ekpe” custom of Nnewi is repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience”.

The judgment has been acclaimed everywhere as a landmark decision. Some other such judgments followed. See Law And Practice Relating to Women’s Inheritance Rights In Nigeria: An Overview by Joy Ezeilo, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu Campus.



APPLICATION OF THE REPUGNANCY TEST CLAUSE



The British colonials saw the oppressive ways of the Customary and Traditional Practices, and instituted the Repugnancy Test Clause, as part of the Nigerian Legal System in 1900. It provides for the overriding of any Customary and Traditional Law and Practice in the Courts if it is in conflict with natural justice and equity. Also Customary and Traditional Law should be overridden if they were in conflict with the written and official law, and the rights of women and children. Unfortunately, the Test Clause was left by the Law Courts and Law Enforcement Agencies to lie dormant for one whole century until Justice Niki Tobi’s landmark Decision in 1997, and just before it was re-introduced in the 1999 Constitution. The Repugnancy Test Clause, of course, applies only to cases appealed from the lower Courts to the higher Courts.



COURT DECISIONS: THE ONLY ANSWER



Women should learn to take the matters that concern them to the Courts, and refuse any kind of pressure to withdraw the matter from the Court for adjudication at home. This is because any kind of adjudication out of Court would be according to Omenana, by the Elders and the Umuokpu ma obu Umuada. Women should seek for bloodless and discrimination-free revolution in decisions in matters concerning them. The spirit of the new bloodless revolutionary initiatives for women emancipation always should be for women to take matters concerning them to the Courts of Justice everywhere in Igbo land and in Nigeria. Many more of such favourable decisions by Justice Niki Tobi have followed and, in all of the cases, the judges denounced such disinheritance practices as repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience.



[/b]

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGkw.cw8pJUYMAGQtXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEybzNwMHBqBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNgRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA0gxODdfOTQ-/SIG=14csugn2q/EXP=1238111516/**http%3a//writersblock.biafranigeriaworld.com/oyibo-e-odinamadu/2005apr06-aka-ikenga-ohanaeze-2004-asaba-retreat-part5.html[b][b][/b]

igbowomen eatting and having sex with animals.igbowomen in rivers state.

*sighs*

why are you denying the thing all over again, osisi. You didnt believe me before. You found proof of it on YOUR OWN online(not on Nairaland) plus David, agbaba, chiogo confirmed such thing happening. Whether it happens in other tribes isnt being disputed either. Jeez.

who is comfort?

there is no bestiality in that article? lol,its the one  you wrote yourself, go eat your eat human flesh in Abia.

*comfort:

there is no bestiality in that article? lol,its the one you wrote yourself, go eat your eat human flesh in Abia.

click on it dear,I didn't add it there since you want copy and paste ,you shall have them.

In March 1999, the chairman of the Bayelsa State Family Support Programme (FSP) stated that the FSP "in conjunction with some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), had embarked on a series of campaigns to stem some obnoxious practices against womanhood, such as genital mutilation, widowhood practices and early marriage. … She advised widows in the state, whose relatives were being forced to marry relations of their dead husbands, to use the services of the legal aid council" (Post Express 24 Mar. 1999

comfort who knew your Bayelsa was no haven for widows

http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,469f2ea82,3ae6ad6e64,0.html

igbowomen

http://www.igbonews.co.uk/html/okija2.html#500-okija
500 Okija victims recount ordeal
The Day Okija 'Gods' Invaded Reps' Chamber
Okija Shrines Priests Confess
Ngige speaks on Okija, warns troublemakers
The Okija shrine horror
House in rowdy session over Okija shrines
Okija Invasion, Deliverance for Nigerians
God Intervened in Okija, Says Cleric
Top politicians use fake names in Okija shrine register
Okija shrines were 419 tools
Those killed by Okija shrine are criminals – Chief priest
Don’t tarnish Igbo image, Achuzia insists
Aambra Govt to Acquire Okija Shrine
Okija: IG Gets Presidential Order, Ohanaeze Disowns Shrine
Okija community defends shrine, vows to resist acquisition
Anambra To Acquire 'Evil' Forest
Police Seal off Okija Shrines
Shocker for IGP at Okija shrines
Okija People are not Cannibals, Says Monarch
Raid on shrines: Police recover 50 corpses, 20 skulls
INSIDE HORROR SHRINE- Inside Okija horror shrine
Police uncover 10 fresh shrines, Ohanaeze scribe slams raid
Okija Shrine of Death- HOW WE GET HUMAN SKULLS-Chief priest
In Okija, The Gods Are To Blame For Killings
Wabara: Why Are Igbo Forests Not For Tourism?
More corpses recovered.

Rising Number Of Igbo In Overseas Prisons Worry Leaders
From Lawrence Njoku Enugu

The number of Igbo serving various prison terms outside the country, those already executed and the ones facing death sentences for various offences were said to have formed the nucleus of discussions on Friday, in Enugu, as political leaders of the South East Zone met.

The Guardian gathered from a source at the closed door meeting, which was attended by the five Governors in the Zone, serving members of the National Assembly led by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, as well as other leaders of thought deliberated on the situations of the affected Igbo with a view to assisting them.

It was gathered that about 2400 Igbo are serving various jail terms outside the country. Of the figure, 3 was said to have been executed in Indonesia while 18 is facing death sentence in the same country. About 1500 is also said to be serving various prison terms in South Africa. Although, details about how the leaders intends to assist the affected persons was not made public, but it was, however agreed that poverty and unemployment ravaging the South East Zone have contributed to the rising number of inmates, stressing that ,there was need to make the economic situation of the zone more attractive.

Ekweremadu, who briefed reporters at the end of the meeting, said all the South East Governors and members of the National Assembly from the Zone have resolved to work together irrespective of party affiliations for the general interest of the zone. Add that several issues affecting the zone, including the ecological problems and the state of infrastructures were discussed.

While describing the meeting as a very good development for discussing matters affecting the zone, he said, it has also for the first time brought political office holders, irrespective of the political party, together for peace. Adding that the meeting will henceforth be held on quarterly basis.

Another source however, disclosed that the meeting also discussed a common position on state creation for the zone.
Source: Guardian, 30th November 2008

At least the Igbo leaders address the issues in their soceity, that, should be commended.
Your women are forced to sleep with horses  and donkeys, which is worse?

A LAW TO MAKE IT UNLAWFUL TO INFRINGE THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS, AND FOR OTHER RELATED MATTERS
ENACTED BY THE ENUGU STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, THIS 8TH MARCH, 2001

PROHIBITION

(1) "No person for whatever purpose or reason shall compel a widow/widower as follows:

(a) to permit the hairs on the head or any other part of the body to be shaved;

(b) to sleep either alone or on the some bed or be locked in a room with corpse of the husband

c) not to receive condolence visits from sympathisers during the period of mourning

(d) to be re-married by a relative of the late husband

(e) to sit on the floor or be naked during any period of the husband's/ burial rite

(f) to drink the water used in washing the corpse of the husband/

(g) to weep and wail loudly at intervals at any time after the death of the husband/ except at ones own volition or involuntary action;

(h) to remain in confinement after the death of the husband for any given period;

(i) to vacate the matrimonial home;

(j) to do any other thing which contravenes the fundamental rights entrenched in the Constitution or is degrading the person.

(2) A widow shall not be dispossessed upon the death of the husband of any property acquired by the deceased husband/wife (during the deceased husband's/wife's life time) without his/her consent.

PENALTY: It shall be unlawful for any widow/widower or any person to falsely allege that the rights guaranteed under this law have been violated

JURISDICTION: Anybody who contravenes, conspires, aids, counsels, procures, or assists another person to contravene the provisions of this Law shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine N5,000 (Five thousand naira) or two years imprisonment or both

APPEAL: The Magistrate Court shall have jurisdiction to try summarily any offence under this law.


"During 2001 a series of meetings and workshops were organized by WiDO to make the bill known and to discuss and disseminate the information about its enactment."

WIDOWHOOD PRACTICES: THE CASE OF ENUGU STATE (NIGERIA)

FROM THE FOREWORD:
"Although both the widow and the widower experience basically equal pains for the death of the partner, the Nigerian widow suffers many deprivations, some of which are inhuman, barbaric and uncouth. This discriminatory and parochial approach in the practice of widowhood in Nigeria destabilizes and vexes Nigerian women and rightly so. Apart from the fact that the discriminatory practice violates the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the traditional practices are a taboo in the civilised world and should not find a place in any decent society, It is difficult for a human being in this day and age to believe that a wife is forced to drink the water used in bathing the corpse of her husband, all in the name of custom, as told by Mrs. Agnes lloegbunam. This and other widowhood practices are repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience and should be thrown out from society as they do much harm to womanhood.

Although the book tells the pathetic story of the experiences of Enugu State widows, it is known that widows in other States in the country suffer from similar situations, Nigerian women should continue in the struggle for complete eradication of the present obnoxious widowhood practices. The first step towards achieving total freedom is education, Congratulations to the Enugu State Widows Welfare Committee on a successful campaign!

Niki Tobi, Justice, Court of Appeal & Professor of Law."

For more information Contact: Medical Women's Association of Nigeria Centre, 29 Abakaliki Rd, G.R.A, Enugu, NIGERIA

kudos to Enugu state

you may want to see my thread on widowhood from last year.
here it is

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-187909.0.html#msg2994677

no proof. your mother   is forced to sleep with horses  and donkeys, which is worse?.

*comfort:

Rising Number Of Igbo In Overseas Prisons Worry Leaders
From Lawrence Njoku Enugu

The number of Igbo serving various prison terms outside the country, those already executed and the ones facing death sentences for various offences were said to have formed the nucleus of discussions on Friday, in Enugu, as political leaders of the South East Zone met.

The Guardian gathered from a source at the closed door meeting, which was attended by the five Governors in the Zone, serving members of the National Assembly led by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, as well as other leaders of thought deliberated on the situations of the affected Igbo with a view to assisting them.

It was gathered that about[b] 2400 Igbo are serving various jail terms outside the country. Of the figure, 3 was said to have been executed in Indonesia while 18 is facing death sentence in the same country. About 1500 is also said to be serving various prison terms in South Africa. [/b] Although, details about how the leaders intends to assist the affected persons was not made public, but it was, however agreed that poverty and unemployment ravaging the South East Zone have contributed to the rising number of inmates, stressing that ,there was need to make the economic situation of the zone more attractive.

Ekweremadu, who briefed reporters at the end of the meeting, said all the South East Governors and members of the National Assembly from the Zone have resolved to work together irrespective of party affiliations for the general interest of the zone. Add that several issues affecting the zone, including the ecological problems and the state of infrastructures were discussed.

While describing the meeting as a very good development for discussing matters affecting the zone, he said, it has also for the first time brought political office holders, irrespective of the political party, together for peace. Adding that the meeting will henceforth be held on quarterly basis.

Another source however, disclosed that the meeting also discussed a common position on state creation for the zone.
Source: Guardian, 30th November 2008

Only 2400 ?
out of over 30 million Igbos,only 2400 ?
Is that even one tenth of the rapist militants and kidnappers rampaging Bayela and Rivers

From Chris Oji, Enugu

All is not well in the agrarian community of Owo in Nkanu Local Government Area of Enugu State. The hitherto peaceful and bubbling community is now under the siege of an orchestrated mafia within the community that has continued to unleash te


For close to two years, the gang, who operate like armed robbers, have attacked innocent citizens and threatened the lives of many young and old indigenes of the community.

The terror gang, whose motive is not known, is said to strike at will, maiming and kidnapping. They sometimes kill and rob their victims. The reign of terror has reduced the town into a ghost haven. The people now live in perpetual fear and anxiety as nobody is sure of the next target.

For this reason, the community is taking its case to Governor Sullivan Chime and the State Police Command to come to their rescue as the situation is getting out of hand. The elders, leaders of thought, the town union executives and Ndioha of the community converged recently at the Town Square to map out strategies against the siege. A 21-member committee was mandated to convey their plight to the governor and the commissioner of police.

The meeting was provoked by the recent attack on some of the community members. The victims of such attacks are Igwe Nwaogbachi, Steve Uzu, Christopher Ani Nwanamene, Odo Nwaogbuebo and Christian Igwe. Also attacked were Mrs. Helen Ogbu, Patrick Ede and Fredrick Ede.

The elders toldNewsextra that many prominent indigenes have fled the town, following threats by the group. Among them are the Special Assistant to Chime on Public Enlightenment and Mass Mobilisation, Mr. Paul Nnajiofor, Chief Agbowo Ede, Vincent Nnajieze and Chikezie Aga.

Worried by the ugly development, the community leaders have petitioned the governor and the commissioner of police. They wondered why some people with selfish interest, could hold the entire community to ransom, supporting killings and kidnappings in the otherwise peaceful town.

In their petition to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Zarewa, the community told him that "this group of suspected bandits and criminals have, at various times, armed themselves with guns, machetes, broken bottles and other dangerous weapons, snatching mobile phones, money, motorcycles and other valuables. They have also caused serious tension, moments of insecurity and created fear among the law-abiding and innocent indigenes of Owo town."

The community listed 11 members who they suspected to be behind the atrocities. They, therefore, urged the police boss "to use his good offices to save our lives and those of others before we are killed, by launching massive raids, arrests and prosecuting the above listed group of ‘bad boys’ in Owo town for peace to reign."

The Police confirmed receiving the petition. According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, a number of arrests have been effected regarding the Owo community. More arrests are likely to be made as the investigation goes on, he assured.The Special Assistant to Chime on Public Enlightenment, Mr. Nnajiofor, who described the situation as most disturbing, called on the people of Owo town to eschew violence and embrace peace, noting that without peace, there would be no meaningful development and progress in any community.

He also called on those engaged in carrying arms, kidnappings and killings of law-abiding citizens to drop their arms and embrace peace and dialogue.

http://www.thenationonlineng.com/dynamicpage.asp?id=80384

*comfort:

no proof. my mother   is forced to sleep with horses  and donkeys, which is worse?.

e be like say dat one pain you well well.
next time you'll be more careful in asking for trouble.
Now you know Bayelsa women cuddle with German shepherds after circumcision

expect more number from Europe, and Asia .


Anambra police rescue 11 kidnapped victims

ODOGWU EMEKA ODOGWU, Awka



DESPITE the death sentence threat for kidnappers in Anambra State, the business still thrives in the state as the police weekend, rescued 11 kidnapped victims including a couple.


The victims rescued included four women and seven men, including a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Tochukwu Omambala from Nri , Anaocha council area of Anambra State.


The victims Daily Champion gathered, were rescued in the early hours of Saturday, from Isiagu river valley following a tip-off from the villagers.


The police also recovered from the hideout, two motorcycles and a Mitsubishi L-300 mini bus with registration XC653EZA, as well as machetes, hammers and other dangerous weapons.


Unfortunately the kidnappers numbering over five, escaped through the Isiagu River during the raid.


Divisional Crime Officer (CDCO), Awka Division, Mr. Umege Uzor Chris, who confirmed the incident to Daily Champion, said his men ambushed the kidnappers following useful information from some neighbouring villagers.


He said four notorious armed robbery suspects who attacked his men last week on checkpoint at Eke-Nibo-Mbaukwu road junction were also arrested even as he vowed to bring crime rate in the area to zero level. Daily Champion recalls that members of the Anambra House of Assembly had passed into law a bill spelling out capital punishment for any convicted kidnapper in the state.

http://nigeriaworld.com/cgi-bin/axs/ax.pl?http://odili.net/news/source/2009/mar/24/801.html

[b][/b]

idiot rivers state is not bayelsa.Abia state is where they eat human being.

*comfort:

expect more number from Europe, and Asia .


Anambra police rescue 11 kidnapped victims

ODOGWU EMEKA ODOGWU, Awka



DESPITE the death sentence threat for kidnappers in Anambra State, the business still thrives in the state as the police weekend, rescued 11 kidnapped victims including a couple.


The victims rescued included four women and seven men, including a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Tochukwu Omambala from Nri , Anaocha council area of Anambra State.


The victims Daily Champion gathered, were rescued in the early hours of Saturday, from Isiagu river valley following a tip-off from the villagers.


The police also recovered from the hideout, two motorcycles and a Mitsubishi L-300 mini bus with registration XC653EZA, as well as machetes, hammers and other dangerous weapons.


Unfortunately the kidnappers numbering over five, escaped through the Isiagu River during the raid.


Divisional Crime Officer (CDCO), Awka Division, Mr. Umege Uzor Chris, who confirmed the incident to Daily Champion, said his men ambushed the kidnappers following useful information from some neighbouring villagers.


He said four notorious armed robbery suspects who attacked his men last week on checkpoint at Eke-Nibo-Mbaukwu road junction were also arrested even as he vowed to bring crime rate in the area to zero level. Daily Champion recalls that members of the Anambra House of Assembly had passed into law a bill spelling out capital punishment for any convicted kidnapper in the state.

http://nigeriaworld.com/cgi-bin/axs/ax.pl?http://odili.net/news/source/2009/mar/24/801.html

[b][/b]

Yenagoa — For residents of Yenagoa the state capital this is certainly not the best of time given the series of cult related killings in a city dubbed as the oasis of peace in the turbulent Niger Delta.

Residents of the Bayelsa State capital were yesterday taken aback following the arrest by Police of teenage boys and girls with ages ranging between 12 and 16years over alleged involvement in cases of cultism, currency counterfeiting, illegal sales of cannabis and armed robbery in different parts of the state.

<
While the apprehensive residents thronged the state police headquarters to a catch a glimpse of the arrested teenagers, some concerned family members pleaded with the media to assist that fair investigation is conducted as they claimed that their wards presently in police custody were not involved in crimes mentioned by the police.

The state police command were parading the suspects accused two teenage girls of being used by a cult group known as the Icelanders for luring and recruitment of innocent girls and boys in the state capital.

A lad, aged 16, identified as Lucky Abel from Southern Ijaw local government area of the state was arrested with an automatic pistol and accused of armed robbery by the police authorities.

The suspects arrested by the police for cult activities include Makpa Elohor (12yrs) and Maureen Bethel (13yrs).

According to the State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), Ibokette Iniobong (DSP), the teenage girls were abducted by one Unity Kingsley and taken to the unholy meetings of the 'Icelanders' where they were taken through rigorous initiation processes include sexual acts.

The duo of Elohor and Bethel were later reported to have become field officers that specializes in luring and recruiting boys and girls for the cult group before they were arrested along with Unity Kingsley.

Also arrested in different parts of the state with the assistance of the girls were over thirteen boys including a disabled identified as a senior member of the group.

However, there was a drama midway into the parade of the suspects as some family members of the suspects pleading with newsmen to interview their wards accused of cultism and illegal sales of cannabis.

This was however dismissed by the Commissioner of Police, Julian Opaleke who said the newsmen should not be allowed to speak with the suspects as "it will jeopardize investigation."

The trio of Trinia Godswill, Kide Captain and Peria Arake were also arrested with two Generating sets, two image scanners allegedly used for counterfeiting and fake currency notes in the state capital.



http://allafrica.com/stories/200903130865.html

bakassi boys.

imagine 12 year old girls in Bayelsa involved in cultism and armed robbery amongst other criminal acts
where else in Nigeria do you hear such news
na from the breast feeding una own dey start?

Residents of the Bayelsa State capital were yesterday taken aback following the arrest by Police of teenage boys and girls with ages ranging between 12 and 16years over alleged involvement in cases of cultism, currency counterfeiting, illegal sales of cannabis and armed robbery in different parts of the state.

The Truth About The Bakassi Boys

By

Obi Akwani

akwani@citenet.net



In recent months there has been an increasing number of negative reports, initiated by Human Rights Watch, concerning a small vigilante organization, the Bakassi Boys, operating in eastern Nigeria.

In or about April 2002, the international human rights monitoring organization posted a news release on various Nigerian Internet newsgroups decrying and equating the activities of the Bakassi Boys with well-known political vigilante group, OPC of western Nigeria. The BBC followed with a story based on this news release on its website. The news was picked up by other, mostly relatively small, outlets. Since then periodic reports damning the Bakassi appear quoting Human Rights Watch.

The Bakassi Boys first came to media and public attention more than four years ago following its formation. However, this is the first time that such pointedly negative news about the group is coming from a non-Nigerian source.

When they first came into being, commentary about the Bakassi in the Nigerian media was mostly positive and they received broad public approval. The little international attention they received came from among the Nigerian diaspora, where as usual they had their supporters and detractors. Among the latter is this author who made the common mistake of equating the Bakassi Boys to other decidedly political extrajudicial outfits like the western (Yoruba) Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) or the northern (Hausa-Fulani) Arewa Peoples Congress (APC).

What alarmed me at the time was that the Bakassi Boys was being brought under the patronage of the state governors. I had assumed it was a politically motivated outfit like vigilantes in other parts of the country. My opposition to the extension of governors' patronage was in principle, given that vigilante groups, as a rule, operated without the guidance of established laws. And often they work in defiance of such laws, especially when their inspiration is political.

In September 2001, I had the opportunity to visit Nigeria and learned firsthand the real situation there. The Bakassi, as it happens, continues to enjoy wide public support. I saw at least two different movies, there are more than a dozen such movies, depicting them as heroes. Calendars and almanacs telling the saga of Bakassi exploits hang in offices and homes of many Easterners. To this day, many Eastern Nigerians remain traumatized by the events and state of society that led to the emergence of the vigilante group. One young mother of three told how, at the worst time, she feared to go out on the street even in daylight. People stayed indoors and bared their doors and windows. Such was the fearful state of things in the East before the Bakassi came to clean up the crime and stem the lawlessness, to the relief and gratitude of all. Even policemen were happy the Bakassi came into the scene and the two groups worked out an amicable arrangement for operation.

Before [b]the Bakassi Boys, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was lawlessness and high crime in Eastern Nigeria. This was mainly due to the existence of a small number of influential men who sponsored the criminals. One of the most notorious of these men was a rasputinic character, Eddy Okeke, pastor and founder of a local 'Christian' cult. Okeke claimed the ability to heal many ills, make acolytes rich and give them power over things temporal and spiritual. He was also reputed to be a friend and adviser to most of the men in power at the federal level. Okeke and his followers were known for high living. They publicly beat up those that opposed them. This included government officials and policemen. Taking them to court was a pointless affair. They were invariably set free by fearful judges. Serious opponents often wound up dead or seriously maimed. His charms were supposed to protect users from even bullets. Ambitious men of all sorts -- criminals, politicians, careerists in government and private practice -- sought out Eddy and his charms. Even the military men who were state governors in the east at the time did not dare cross Eddy or they would find themselves out of power.

As a result of all this crime grew and lawlessness prevailed. Eddy's men marauded, stealing and extorting from people. Not even small children or young adults were safe. People were disappearing, kidnapped, killed and used in ritual rites to make practitioners even more powerful and invincible. The most invincible, of course, was Eddy Okeke himself.

Among the working class, the most vulnerable were the traders and merchants, people whose fortunes were tied up in their trading goods. These goods had become the target of armed robbers. The police, of course, were unable to help. And so the traders decided to help themselves and the Bakassi Boys was born.

Psychologically, fear of Okeke and his occult powers was very real and at the beginning the Bakassi Boys suffered setbacks against their opponents. To counteract that they had to present themselves as having more power than their opponents. Gradually, they began to succeed. That success was sealed after the capture and public execution of the 'invincible' Okeke. After that communities in the east began to request the vigilante's help in dealing with any number of criminal menace.

The Bakassi are well aware of the inherent dangers of their situation and have therefore set themselves strict guidelines for personal conduct and action. For instance, they believe that no member of the group can be involved in criminal activity. They do not accept bribes and will deal mercilessly with any of their own who falls foul of these guidelines.

Yes, they are ruthless with criminals. They have been known to cut off limbs and burn people (Eddy himself was said to have been disemboweled before being killed). That is the method of the Bakassi Boys. But the group is not political. They have no agenda beyond ensuring peace and order in civil society. It is not their method to run rampage harassing motorists as some writers have tried to show. That goes against the very reason for their existence. When they travel, they do so in a convoy of vehicles, and any acts of exuberance they display will without doubt be with or on their own property.

It is true that in some states in eastern Nigeria, namely Abia and Anambra states, the group has received support from the government. This is a mark of their popularity and perceived usefulness. Government oversight has had the added benefit of further taming the Bakassi organization.

The current spate of negative press against them comes at a time when Nigerians are getting ready for a new round of elections. It appears, therefore, that the bad press is politically motivated, and there is ample evidence to bear this out.

In other parts of the country, avowedly political vigilante groups have been silenced, at least for the moment. But because of its apolitical nature, the Bakassi Boys was spared the same kind of treatment -- banning orders etc., -- meted out to the OPC, for instance, by the police. Since the bad press began, however, there have been reports of clashes with, and raids by, the police of Bakassi offices in Abia and Anambra states. These police actions seem aimed at emasculating the Bakassi Boys before the 2003 elections.

An August 11 report posted on Niajanet claims that 'President Obasanjo has expressed fears the group could be transformed into private armies during next years governors' elections, ' Hence the need to bring them down before they can be so used.

It needs repeating that what led to the rise of the Bakassi Boys in the first place was corruption of society through influence peddling. The powers that be in the 1980s and '90s were keen to extend their control to every level of society. But they did not go about it merely through legally constituted means. They had resorted to thuggery, and in doing so, sowed the seeds of chaos and lawlessness. It took the rise of the unorthodox Bakassi Boys to rid the East of that menace. Pity that these heroes during a society's moment of need are now being demonized. All the more so because the campaign to destroy the Bakassi Boys is instigated and propagated by a single minded international NGO careless of the social crucible that brought about the group's existence and mindless of what this means to the people whose lives are affected.


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IF my life were to depend on telling exactly who the Bakassi Boys are, I will be dead. I do not know who they are and I am not sure that I want to know. But I do know that there is something about them that the police do not like, which is, usurping their functions. No responsible police force will welcome a situation where their relevance is being questioned because of the activities of an ubiquitous body crossing their paths and sometimes moving along parallel lines.

I[b] am a living witness to the fact that for three years before the year 2000, in my part of Imo State, life was made unbearable by the callous activities of armed bandits. They suddenly seemed to have so multiplied that anybody found outside his front door after dusk was risking his or her life. Stories of robberies, torture and car snatching filled the air. Everybody had an experience to share in these orgies. Then something intolerable happened warranting the community setting up local vigilance units. They were assigned the responsibility to stem the rise in crime, identify the criminals and involve the police at Owerri, Urualla and in Okigwe. Before the members knew it, their anonymity was compromised and they were marked for elimination. The activities of gangs of robbers confined royal fathers to their palaces following threats of their being killed for identifying with their subjects in the search for a peaceful community.

It did not take a lot of investigation to learn that the culprits were local boys and that the police collaboration was part of their strength. All information placed at the disposal of the police about suspected dare devil home based hoodlums were passed on to the men of the underworld. At this stage a voice suggested the engagement of the services of the Bakassi Boys whose successes in other communities had become remarkable. How they were reached was another dimension to their anonymity and security effectiveness. They went to work immediately with a dose of discreteness that allowed them to know their employers and be briefed in detail on who the suspects could be. Until they were perfectly ready, nothing happened. Faith and patience were running out as anxiety heightened.

Then suddenly things began to happen. Well known hoodlums who were friends of the police gradually took notice and either fled or stayed at their peril. In a short time, locking and bolting gates and doors in my village became only a matter of habit; nobody needed to. Home was becoming haven again and evening parties and outside engagements returned to the community. It was such a great relief. Asked thereafter to choose between the Bakassi Boys and the police, the village folks preferred the former. Information is perhaps the greatest help the police force needs to combat crime. The same applied to the Bakassi Boys. But whereas police informants were betrayed through the flippancy, irresponsibility and criminal intent of the bad eggs in the force, Bakassi Boys did not have that problem or gloat about their successes. They respected informants but still investigated every case reported.

I once had cause to report a burglary in my house to the police a couple of years ago. To date the investigators are making me to believe that they would have made an arrest had I induced them sufficiently. Even the paper on which I wrote my complaint was paid for by me. I paid for the investigators' trips to Kwara and Enugu States in the course of their investigations. Unwarranted visits were paid to my house in the pretense of bringing me up to date on my complaint. Each visit meant beer and kola in an envelope. I have since given up on them.

The Inspector General of Police will be lacking in candour if he denies awareness of these malpractice. Of course, he does not deny them any more. He blames them on his bad eggs. A situation where bad eggs out number the good ones suggests a characteristic that earns collective guilt. Ill equipped yes; ill clad yes; ill paid yes and ill trained yes. But there is no guarantee that given all they need the police bully mentality and aggressive orientation will change. The situation on the ground is that only criminals and potential criminals seek the friendship of the Nigerian police, not honest decent men and women. The inferiority complex every policeman wears is their greatest undoing. We will be relieved to hear that the contemplated ban of Bakassi Boys is shelved. That is not to say that the "Boys" should usurp police duties in a triumphant manner. The police should device a way of working with them. It is also up to the police to decide that the "Boys" can conversely use useful facilities of the force for the common good. To achieve maximum result, goodwill and mutual trust must be enthroned. And above all, the Bakassi Boys must see themselves as an ad hoc outfit on a special assignment and be ready to fold up when and if the police are fully prepared to assume their full responsibilities. Finally they must always act responsibly and show more common sense than zeal. [/b]