The Amuri Ancient Kingdom in Nkanu West council area of Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria, has put a curse on the killers of the Labour Party candidate for the Enugu East Senatorial District in the February 25 presidential election, Oyibo Chukwu.
The community also put a curse on their sponsors.
Chukwu, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oji River branch was gruesomely assassinated on February 22 at Amechi Awkunanaw while returning from a campaign in Agbani, Nkanu West Local Government Area headquarters.
Although his younger brother Kelvin Chukwu who was later nominated to replace him by the Labour Party won the senatorial seat, condemnation has continued to trail his assassination more so when all the leaders of the state including Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi have maintained silence regarding the issue.
SaharaReporters observed that since the results of the election were declared in favour of Kelvin Chukwu, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, a former governor of Enugu State who re-contested for the seat on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party has launched verbal attacks on Labour Party supporters, calling them unprintable names.
However, Chukwu's kinsmen who have been mourning since his murder and incineration of his body, invoked the spirits of their ancestors to avenge his death during a ritual performed at the community's ancestral square.
Chukwu’s body was incinerated on Tuesday.
Natives of Amuri from the four communities that make up the ancient kingdom, led by the eldest men in the locality and two traditional rulers, Igwe Charles Nwoye and Igwe Fidelis Nsiegbu, had gathered at the popular Obodo Okolo Chukwu ancestral square as early as 9 am, with one voice to hurl curses and invoke the spirits of their forefathers and gods of the land to go after those behind the killing of Chukwu and his supporters.
Igwe Nwoye and his colleague, in separate remarks, said as a people, they believe strongly in natural justice and the philosophy of 'live and let live'.
He urged their ancestors to bring justice to their late son.
The traditional rulers equally prayed to the gods of the land to ensure that anyone involved in the killing - young or old - and directly or indirectly, is made to face the consequences of their actions.
“He who kills by the sword must surely die by the sword," one of them said.
Addressing journalists shortly after the rituals, Chukwu's younger brother and Senator-elect, Kelvin, thanked his kinsmen for the love and solidarity they have continued to show to the family since the ugly incident occurred.
He thanked the two traditional rulers present and the elders of the kingdom, adding that rituals seeking natural justice for the dead had never failed the community.
Kelvin said his family had yet to recover from the shock of Chukwu’s murder.
"So, what our people are doing here today is important because it is in consonance with the tradition of our community’ it's our way of seeking justice through traditional means.
"His spirit and those of our ancestors will definitely find the perpetrators and make them pay dearly for their wicked and barbaric act," he said.
Also speaking, the crown prince in one of the communities and immediate past chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Enugu State, Dr Ben Nwoye, said, "Amuri is a great kingdom, and we are descendants of warriors. And in Amuri, the gods of our ancestors guide everything we do.
"We are spiritual people; we don't engage in war without a just course. We don't spill blood, but due to the last election, the blood of an Amuri son was spilt.
"So today, we have gathered here in our village community square to invoke the spirits of our ancestors to speak justice to the spirit of our son, Barrister Oyibo Chukwu. We have come to ask all the gods of Amuri Ancient Kingdom to avenge for us.
"You can see that all the elders from the kingdom, both those who can walk and those who can't walk, some are above one hundred years of age, have all come out to invoke the spirit of our ancestors, the warrior spirit to come and fight for us so, that all those who joined in the conspiratorial meeting to eliminate Chukwu for political gains and their generations will get the justice they also deserve."