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Confusion as banker rejects community’s offer of Ezemuo title

…Receives death threats as youth, elders search for him

…Flees with wife, children

Chibuzor Samuel Enemuo is one of the thriving bankers in Lagos State where he lives with his wife and three children.

Until recently, Chibuzor, a native of Ezeagu community of Enugu State, had lived a quiet life with his family in the Lagos metropolis.

He is believed to be a devout Christian too who would not hurt a fly as he practices his faith to the dictates of his religious belief.

He is also a man with utmost love for his native community as he occasionally commutes between Lagos and his Ezeagu village to see his loved ones there.

However, his religious faith and utter rejection for what he called ‘retarded tradition’ are putting his life on the line now as he claimed that he, his wife and children are being hunted by some members of his community.

The father of three kids is now being hunted like wild life by those he grew up with and some of the elders of his agrarian community.

In a chat with The Nigerian Xpress, Chibuzor claimed that his ordeal was as a result of his refusal to accept the title of Ezemuo from his community.

Narrating the genesis of the ordeal to our reporter, Chibuzor said, “I, Chibuzor Samuel Enemuo, hereby states that my life and that of my family is seriously in danger.

“I have been threatened by my kinsmen and other witchdoctors because I was asked to take up the responsibility of being the Oracle Chief Priest (Ezemuo) which I refused because of two things: One is that  it is against my faith as a Christian faith as Holy Bible tells me that I should not worship any other God except Him.

“Second, it (Ezemuo) involves blood covenant, dedicating my God-given children to oracle, which is not limited to female genital mutilation as the female who are not circumcised are not expected to be presented before the Oracle (Ogwugwu).”

Chibuzor, who spoke with our reporter shortly before he fled the country, recounted that, “This started on August 27, 2016 after a general meeting of my people.

“I was summoned by the Chief Romanus Nwankenke, Gilbert Ozo and the Agwotulumbe (The witchdoctor).

“I was surprised with the summon but when I got there they told me that the gods had favoured me, that after the death of the first Ezemuo, that the gods has not chosen who will be the next Ezemuo.

“I told them that I did not understand what they were saying that they should better say something I can understand. They plainly told me that the gods has chosen me to be the next Ezemuo.

“I immediately told them that this must be a joke. I told them that I could not take up this responsibility because it was against my faith as a Christian and beside I did not reside in the village.

“The witchdoctor told me that once Ogwugwu has chosen, he has chosen that is no going back except if the person dies.

“I left the meeting in anger and traveled back the Lagos the next day.

“Three months after, I received a phone call from Chief Romanus asking if I had accepted the offer. I told him over my dead body would I accept that kind of offer as a Christian and damage the future of my kids as well because of a stupid tradition that is bent on infringing on people’s freedom.

“This statement aggravated him and he warned me that failure to yield to the demand of the gods would have me killed and my corpse be brought to the shrine to appease the gods.

“He reminded me of what happened to Ngwu’s family when their father refused to answer the call of the Oracle several years back, in which Mr. Ngwu was mysteriously killed and his corpse and his children were dedicated to the Oracle.

“In December 2017, I traveled home for Christmas with my family and during that period, I visited Mr. Ngwu’s eldest son (Ejike) to find out what actually happened to his dad, whether his death was as a result of his refusal to accept the Ezemuo title.

“Ejike said answered in the affirmative and narrated the ordeal to me of how youths in the village gathered and beat his father  to death, burnt down their house and took the father’s corpse to the shrine.

“As I was coming out of Ejike’s house, I saw the youths marching towards me with cutlass and sticks and I quickly jumped into my car and drove off.

“They were only able to shatter my windscreen using stones, but I was able to get out of the place alive. I quickly picked my family and drove off to another town, checked into a hotel to pass the night and left for Lagos the next morning thinking that I had finally escaped and never to come home again.

“However, little or did I know that my problem would escalate even.

“Later that night, they (the youths and some elders) went to my house in the village thinking that I was still around, but fortunately for me I left immediately after the encounter at Ejike’s house.

“They met my aged mother, who was 80-years-old,  took her with them and threatening to kill her if she did not provide me.

“They held her for two days and released her after they saw that I was not ready to show up.

“One month after the incident the incident, I received a call from unknown person telling me that my run will soon be in vain, that I should better come home and take up the responsibility and not allow the wrath of the gods to come upon my kinsmen because of my stubbornness.

“In May 2018, there was an attempt to break into my house in Lagos in the middle of the night, but luckily for me, I have changed all my burglary and keys to more sophisticated ones.

“They could not gain access into the place because I shouted at the top of my voice on which drew the attention of my neighbours who joined in chasing them away.

“I reported this to the police who promised to investigate, yet nothing came out of the police investigation.

“In May that year, they finally gained access into my apartment in the afternoon thinking that my family was at home.

“Luckily ,no one was in. So, they turned my house upside down, destroyed my properties. When my wife came back, she called me to tell me what happened. I immediately left office and went to the police and reported the incident again.

“On November 9, 2018, they finally succeeded in abducting me atop the Marina bridge, in Lagos.

“It was a Friday and I closed late in the office. I was driving home when I a Toyota Camry car crossed me and two guys came out with gun, smashed my wind screen, hit me on the neck with the butt of a gun.

“I passed out immediately. So, they took me and put me at the back of the car. They had barely driven for five minutes when I regained consciousness and noticed that we were stuck in serious traffic because of heavy trucks that blocked the entire Funsho Williams Avenue that day.

“So, I had to wrestle with the two men sitting at the back to generate attention from other passersby.

“With this, they left me in the car and fled when they saw that other passersby were beginning to gather. I was later rescued as people me to a nearby Police Station to lodge a formal complaint.

“On November 26, an unknown person attempted to abduct two of my children from school claiming that he was my cousin and  that my wife has asked him to pick the kids from school.

“However, the teachers foiled the plan when they called my wife to find out if this was true that she was sick.

“After these incidents, a close friend called me to tell me that the people would not stop till they bring me home to actualise their aims.

“Of course, I had seen from all indications that they were hell bent on their aims. I saw that it was I either I accept their demand – which I will never accept – or they would kill me and sacrifice my corpse to appease the their gods,” he narrated.

The Nigerian Xpress spoke with an elder of the community, identified as Chief Madu, on telephone, who denied that Chibuzor was not being threatened, but he told our reporter that the elders were bound by what the oracle said concerning the vacant Ezemuo stool.

Chief Madu’s words, “I do not know about any death threat but the truth of the matter is that no one is bigger than the community.

“The elders are being guided by the gods of the land and if the gods had chosen anyone to a particular position, who are we to say ‘No’”?

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