AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
It was a dramatic scene at Onuoji village, Ezza Umuhuali, Ishielu LGA, Ebonyi State, recently, as people of the area in one voice, expelled an infamous native doctor, Monday Nwogbaga, from the community, over allegations that he was preparing charms for criminals.
Two stakeholders in the area, Mathew Nwanga and Peter Nzogbu, told The Point Correspondent during a visit that the 40-year old self-acclaimed herbalist was “preparing charms for criminals that would reportedly make them invincible or not to be pierced by any metal.”
Nwogbaga, who hails from Azungele in Izzi Local Government Area of the state, had resided in the house of one Emmanuel Otubo in Onuoji village of Umuhuali community for about a month with his wife, Ngozi and five children.
Eye witness accounts had it that Nwogbaga, who earlier claimed that he had cure for all ailments was recently discovered to be ‘arming’ some youths with all sorts of charms including the popular “Odieshi”, a potent amulet to prevent both bullets and other metal objects from penetrating the body of whoever that wore it.
They stated that shortly after the man’s arrival in the area, he visited Nwankwo Market Square where he performed some strange acts that helped him capture public attention.
Nwanga and Nzogbu said that some people including politicians and mainly youths from Umuhuali and Nkalagu communities were there drinking when he came and removed his footwear and walked round the bush bar.
He then went inside where he shook hands with most of the customers, including the chief security of the town, Nzogbu Stanley, whom they said, began to question the man’s identity and the meaning of what he had just done.
It was at that point that they traced him and his activities to his place of abode. Two youths assigned to visit his residence came back with a report that he was a native doctor.
On further inquiry, they alleged that the act Nwogbaga displayed on that fateful day was because he was hired by another competitor in the beer parlour business to perform some rituals that would attract more customers to the person and possibly cause the liquidation of Egbelegu’s joint.
Disturbed by what they saw, the youths of Onuoji village the next day, invaded his house and brought out all his charms and idols to the federal highway leading to Eha-Amufu.
The native doctor admitted that he had prepared the “Odighieshi” charm for one of the villagers whose name he did not disclose while others who had obtained the same charm from him came from the neighbouring villages.
It was further learnt that he had been banished from other places like Bondel, Nkalagu in Ishielu L.G.A, including his father’s compound at Azungele village in Izzi.
It was his banishment from Nkalagu early in May that brought him to Umuhuali community.
Before sending the notorious native doctor packing from the community, he was subjected to serious torture.
The villagers also penalised his former landlord for bringing such a person to the area.
