Former monarch’s wife paraded for allegedly burying charms
Residents of the Ibom Isii community in Arochukwu LGA, Abia State, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, publicly paraded a woman identified as Mrs Chinelo, the widow of the former traditional ruler of the community, for allegedly attempting to bury charms in her late husband’s home. The incident occurred at about 2 a.m., according to witnesses.
According to the community, Mrs Chinelo was found digging and placing a calabash, a knife and a handwritten list of names into the ground at the house of her late husband, the deposed Monarch, Mazi Kanu Nwa Kanu Okereke. The elders and residents say the items were considered charms.
Video footage circulating on social media shows Mrs Chinelo wrapped in a red wrapper, barefoot, clutching a clay bowl or plate containing the alleged charms, and being moved around several villages by a crowd of residents who sang and played local instruments. Some voices in the crowd claimed she had been previously expelled from the late ruler’s home over allegations of infidelity.
After the procession, the woman was handed over to the community elders and taken to the traditional shrine of Inyama Avia, a recognised spiritual tribunal in Arochukwu, where accused persons must swear before the ancestors. The elders will determine whether formal action or further traditional cleansing is necessary.
The incident raises concern over the intersection of traditional practices, community justice and the rights of individuals. Legal status of such parading remains unclear under Nigerian law, and human rights observers might question whether due process was observed. At the same time, the community sees the act as enforcing spiritual accountability within its cultural context.
