Enugu Women Protest Ritual Killings, Forced Marriages To Dieties

No fewer than 100 women Tuesday protested in Enugu-Ezike in Igboeze-North Local Government Area of Enugu State, over the incessant ritual

killings, especially of 11 women from their area.

The protesters accused suspected ritualists and chief priests of different deities in the area of being responsible for the dastardly act.

The protesters, who wore black dresses, held out tender palm fronds as they marched on the Enugu Government House, where they pleaded with the Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime to ban forced marriages to deities in the local government.

In a petition they submitted to Chime, the women appealed to the governor to come to their rescue by unraveling and stopping the murders of women for ritual purposes.

The protesting women gave the names of the victims of the ritual murders to include Eucharia Abugu, Gloria Ugwoke, Caroline Mama, Ijeoma Onu, and Mary Onu all from Inyi community.

The women said they were agitated as they did not feel safe, pointing out that "it can be anybody’s turn next.”

At Ikpamodo community, one Christopher Eya was said to have been murdered in his house like Mabel Itodo of Okpo and a boy named Ntadinma Eze from Amaja community.

The list also included the wife of the traditional ruler of Igogoro who was kidnapped three months ago and has since not been seen till date. There were fears about her safety,    as many believed that she might have been killed for ritual.

Also at Amachalla and Ugbaike communities, two young women, namely Victoria Ugwuanyi and Rosemary Ugwuanyi, were forcibly "married" to a deity called "Iyakpala Ugbaike."

The chief priest of the deity is alleged to have also forced the daughter of a deceased man to marry him after claiming that the same deity killed her father.

Part of the petition reads: "A man named Solomon Eze died of HIV as was confirmed by medical report but the worshipers of the deity went and packed the deceased man's belongings and took them to the shrine, claiming it was the deity that killed the man.

"We strongly appeal to Governor Sullivan Chime to look into the gruesome murders, investigate the cases with the aim of uncovering the perpetrators and bringing them to book.

"We also appeal for an outright ban on any deity from forcible marriage of our women as it violates section 34 (1), 35 (1) and 42 (1) of the 1999 constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria and African charter on human and peoples right."