The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed the death of a 26-year-old young man identified as Chikwado Eze during a botched fortification ritual conducted by a native doctor.
The tragic incident happened at Ugbaike, Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State last week.
According to reports, Chikwado had secured a visa to travel abroad and had returned to his village to share the news with his father, Mr. Uwakwe Eze. However, his father allegedly insisted on a fortification ritual to ensure his success overseas, and reportedly took him to a native doctor, Onuwa.
The native doctor allegedly claimed that Chikwado needed to be buried alive for 90 minutes to be properly fortified. However, by the time Chikwado was exhumed after the stipulated time, he was found dead.
This incident raised concerns about the dangers of harmful traditional practices and the importance of prioritizing safety and well-being over cultural or superstitious beliefs.
Confirming the incident in a statement issued late Tuesday night by 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 Onuwa 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 rituals 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.”
Ndukwe said that the native doctor had confessed to the crime and other previous performance of such rituals, attributing the death of the victim to his non-adherence to certain ritualistic rules he had earlier prescribed for him.
“The case is under investigation, and the suspects will be arraigned in court once investigations are concluded,” Ndukwe said.
