In Spite Of Her Pleas, The Mental Torture Continued
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
Injustice against widows in Igboland has remained unabated despite laws in different places to check obnoxious practices against them.
This was the case for a widow in Uga community in Aguata local government area of Anambra State, Mrs Ozoemena, last Saturday, who in spite of her pleas “I am innocent ooo. I don’t have hands in my daughter’s death. Why would I kill my own daughter? She is my daughter, I am innocent!” the humiliation did not stop.
The widow, Mrs. Ozoemena, was made to carry the corpse of her dead daughter on her laps for hours on the allegations of being a witch.
Report has it that she lamented in agony with the corpse on her laps but nobody heeded her cries because a self acclaimed pastor, who incidentally, is her son, one Mr. Nonso Ozoemena, started pointing at designated locations in the compound, where he perceived charms were buried and urged the youths to dig the places for confirmation.
Unfortunately for her, charms, including dead ram, kola nuts and other diabolical items were exhumed from the places by the youths; while Nonso, who claimed to be speaking under the influence of the “Holy Spirit” continued to out point more places for excavation, including an orange tree, which, he said must be uprooted, for the charms buried underneath to be exhumed and destroyed.
The incident from a viral video on social media, saw the youths of the village make the widow pass through barbaric treatments and untold humiliation over suspicion that she may have been responsible for death of her daughter
They beat the widow and forced her to carry the corpse of her daughter, who had died a day before.
It was said that, a daughter to the victim, Ogochukwu Ozoemena, died Friday night in a circumstance many believed to be untimely, mysterious, and suspicious.
Probably for the presumed mysterious nature of the death, irate youths of the community insisted that she would not be buried until the cause of her death was unraveled and as such, the corpse was dumped in front of the house, while the youths continued to call for investigation, oath taking, or any other approach that could reveal the actual cause of her death.
Some of the speculators captured in the viral video alleged that those charms may have been buried by the deceased’s mother, whom, they claimed, was not in good terms with the deceased and some of her siblings.
The corpse was, however, eventually retrieved from her and driven to the mortuary; while some of the villagers were seen following her around and making jest of her.
