Oba of Benin Places Curse on Kidnappers, Armed Robbers, Criminals in Spiritual Crackdown

The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, has placed a spiritual curse on kidnappers, armed robbers, and all persons planning to commit evil in his kingdom and across Edo State.

The monarch invoked the curse through priests and priestesses of all shrines, the Ewaise (traditional physicians), the Iwebo society, and Aiyelala. The spiritual exercise, carried out in the early hours of Wednesday, involved a procession by adherents from the Oba’s palace grounds in traditional “Ododo” attire. Libations were poured at the palace entrance, with calls to the ancestors and ancestral spirits to bear witness against those seeking to destabilise the peace of Edo State.

The monarch stated that it was time to revert to ancient traditional ways of addressing security challenges, describing the exercise as a complement to the state government’s efforts to tackle insecurity.

The spiritual curse is expected to serve as a deterrent to criminals operating in the kingdom and across the state.