How Ekpe Secret Society / Cultists Killed Pastor During Burial Of Their Member In Asaga Ohafia, Abia
Silent town of
Asaga-Ohafia in Ohafia LGA of Abia State has been thrown into a deep
shock and controversy following the death of a cleric who dropped dead
while conducting the burial service of a renowned herbalist.
Saturday Sun gathered
that Pa Oji Okoko, who was not only a notable herbalist but a leader
of some powerful cult groups such as Uke Abaa, Akpan and Ekpe, had
warned his family before his death that his corpse should not to be
taken to any church for funeral. However, his burial few days ago was
turned to a show of power in the community torn between two religions:
Christianity and idolatry. The same town has produced Nigeria’s
Ambassador to Canada, Chief Ojo Maduekwe and popular Evangelist, Rev Uma
Ukpai who has taken evangelism around the globe.
Findings showed
that the man at the centre of the controversy, the late Pa Okoko, a
native of Nde Uduma Ukwu compound in Eziukwu village, Asaga, Ohafia in
Ohafia local council, was a great hunter, a farmer and native doctor of
repute. Being a member of several traditional and cult groups in his
community like Uke Abaa, Akpan and Ekpe, Pa Okoko, before his death at
the age of 104 years, was said not to have entered any church in his
life time.
A polygamist
married to six wives that bore him 26 children, Okoko was said to have
called his first son, Kalu Oji Okoko along with others at a point when
he knew he was nearing his grave and warned not to deposit his corpse in
any mortuary when he dies and never to take him to any church or
conduct any Christian funeral for him.
It was learnt
that the order was to ensure that his traditional group members,
particularly the Ekpe society, would conduct his burial ceremonies and
rites. Pa Okoko’s children and close relations reportedly acceded to
the latter request but pleaded with him to rescind his decision on the
former, in the sense that putting him in the morgue when he breathed his
last would afford members of his Ekpe group and others enough time to
prepare well for his burial. This he accepted, but taking his body to
any church was no-go area.
Saturday Sun gathered
that when Pa Okoko eventually died last month, his children decided to
respect his wish by depositing his corpse in a morgue in the area but
were not interested in organising a church funeral service in his
honour. Trouble, however, started when the maternal side of the
deceased’s family on whose shoulders Igbo customs place much of the
burial responsibility prevailed on the children and close relations of
the late centenarian that church service be conducted for him. In order
not to give room for any hiccup during the burial, as according to
custom, the maternal family members could disrupt the ceremonies if
their opinion was not factored in, some of the children of the deceased
acceded to the request.
Courting trouble
Ahead of the
burial ceremony on Saturday, March 29, 2014, the family was said to
have contacted a pastor of one of the churches in the area who agreed to
officiate at the funeral.
So, on the day
of the burial, the Obu (native hall) near the Ikoro ukwu Asaga where
the body of the late centenarian was laid in state was decorated to suit
the occasion. When the corpse arrived from the mortuary, it was
reportedly taken to the inner sanctuary of the Ekpe society where parts
of his body were robbed with the symbolic Uhie before he was
brought out for the open-air interdenominational church service. But
before the service started, words came to the family members that the
pastor, who was to officiate, would no longer be coming as his wife was
delivered of a baby that morning which made him to be shuttling between
home and hospital.
“The enlarged
family members hurriedly went for another pastor who actually came to
the venue, but having perhaps assessed the spiritual implication with
its looming disaster, he declined to officiate and took a walk away”, a
family source hinted. But determined to have a pastor to officiate at
the funeral, the family members went for a third one, Pastor Okipet
Odum of the Sanctuary of Hope Church, Asaga, Ohafia who also happened to
be a native of the area. Pastor Odum, who had a church programme that
was supposed to run through that weekend, agreed to officiate at a fee
and was paid upfront.
Before his
calling, Pastor Odum was said to be an employee of a defunct Community
bank in the area and until his death, in addition to being a pastor,
owned a shop in front of Ebem Motor Park where he sold GSM phone
accessories.
Ominous signs
Ominous signs of
what was to come began shortly after Pastor Odum began the open air
funeral service. Soon after those at the ceremony took their seats under
the bright and sunny weather, rain began to fall amid lightening and
heavy thunder storms. This forced the casket bearing Pa Okoko’s remains
to be taken back to the Obu. Immediately that was done, the rain was
said to have stopped instantly. To the chagrin of those around, as soon
as the casket was brought out the second time for the continuation of
the service, the rain started again this time in greater proportion. At
that point, Pastor Odum, who went ahead with the conduct of the funeral
service, suddenly collapsed. There was commotion as family members and
others who were at the venue ran for their dear lives. Members of the
Ekpe society who like their late member had opposed the church service
and had all the while stayed afar to watch proceedings, hurriedly came
and attempted to carry the casket to their member’s final resting place.
While trying to
do that, another equally strange thing happened. As the members
attempted to lift the combination of wood and glass casket from the
wooden table it was placed on, the bottom pulled off and the corpse
dropped on the long table, sending more fears into people.
While the Ekpe
society members succeeded in carrying their late member to his final
resting place for burial, the pastor was rushed to a nearby hospital. Saturday Sun was
told at Asaga, Ohafia that the first hospital Pastor Odum was taken
to, refused to admit him on the excuse that his case was spiritual which
also required spiritual solution. The same scenario was said to have
played out at the second hospital.
Prayer warfare
was said to have been waged between that Saturday the incident happened
made him to be taken to his pened and the following Monday when he
eventually died.
When Saturday Sun visited
Asaga, Ohafia for a first hand information on the incident, the first
port of call was the palace of Ezie Ogo Asaga (the traditional Prime
Minister), Ezie Ogo Michael Mmecha Ndukwe. On arrival, he was not
around, but after some long wait, he came in and expressed delight over
the visit. He narrated the story but added that Pastor Odum did not die
as a result of any supernatural force.
According to
Ezie Ogo Ndukwe: “Most of those who know the late pastor too well will
attest to the fact that prior to his death, he was sick. We know him to
be suffering from hypertension for some time and nothing would have
killed him other than that. I want to tell you that his death was
natural, he could have died any other day under the same circumstance.”
The monarch, who
said he was a Christian as well as a traditionalist like most of his
subjects, stated that traditional groups in the area are not majorly
secret societies and debunked the rumour that the pastor may have died
as a result of some supernatural powers.
When Saturday Sun visited
the family of the late Pa Okoko at Eziukwu Asaga Ohafia, they re-echoed
what their Prime Minister said. According to the man’s eldest son,
Kalu Oji Okoko, “our father was never a bad man when he was alive, he
never killed an ant. His major preoccupation was to heal those afflicted
with all manner of incurable diseases; he did not hurt a fly when he
was alive. Those who are insinuating that the pastor died as a result of
my late father’s diabolical powers are not fair to the man and the
family as a whole. Although I was not at the church service and
witnessed what happened, from what my siblings told me, the official
minister died a natural death.”
However, another
of the late Pa Okoko’s son who gave his name as Joseph Iro Oji gave a
different version of the pastor’s death. His words: “My father was not
responsible for the death of the pastor in anyway. It was those
traditionalists who were opposed to the burial of our father in the
Christian way that spiritually pinned the man of God to death so that
they could have their way. If our father by whatever means could cause
the death of the officiating minister, why did he not kill us his
children who participated in the church service. The truth remains that
the man of God was sick and that was the major source of his death.”
Some residents of the area, who spoke to Saturday Sun on the incident, blamed the pastor for what befell him.
“The pastor died
due to disobedience”, one of them started. “Why did he not respect Pa
Okoko’s wish? He was from the same area and knew how strong the man was
when he was alive and because of pecuniary reason, he decided to conduct
the funeral service when other men of God backed out.”
[Source: Saturday Sun]
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