Man who secured visa to travel abroad dies during fortification ritual
The deceased, Chikwado Eze (Photo credit: Punch)
Published By: Isa Isawade
A 26-year-old man from Enugu, Chikwado Eze, who recently secured a visa to travel abroad died during a botched spiritual fortification in the state.
The tragic incident allegedly occurred last week at Ugbaike, Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Chikwado allegedly returned to his village after securing the visa to travel abroad to share the news with his father, Mr Uwakwe Eze.
However, his father insisted on a fortification ritual to ensure his success overseas and took him to a native doctor identified as Onuwa Odugu.
The native doctor allegedly claimed that Chikwado needed to be buried alive for 1 hour and 30 minutes to be properly fortified. Unfortunately, when Chikwado was exhumed after the stipulated time, he was found dead.
Confirming the incident in a statement issued late Tuesday night, the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, said the father of the deceased and the native doctor had been arrested.
According to the statement “a native doctor, one Enuwa Odugu “m”, aged 48, and Uwakwe Eze “m”, aged 67, were arrested for conspiracy and murder of Eze’s 26-year-old son, one Chikwado Celestine Eze.
“The incident is alleged to have occurred when Uwakwe Eze took his son to the native doctor’s shrine for a ritual intended to fortify him with charms. However, during the ritual, the deceased was buried in a coffin but he unfortunately died in the process.
“He was rushed to the hospital and confirmed dead by the attending doctor, and his body deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.”
Police have arrested the native doctor and the deceased father identified as Uwakwe Eze.
Ndukwe said that the native doctor had confessed to the crime and other previous performances of such rituals, attributing the death of the victim to his non-adherence to certain ritualistic rules he earlier prescribed for him.
According to him, the case is under investigation and the suspects will be arraigned in court once investigations are concluded.
