Man dies after being buried alive for fortification in Enugu

A 26-year-old man, Chikwado Eze has been confirmed dead after he was buried alive during a fortification ritual conducted by a native doctor in Ugbaike community, Enugu Ezike, Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.

It was learnt that the deceased was taken to a native doctor, Onuwa Odugu by his father, Uwakwe Eze, for fortification after he secured visa to travel abroad.

Chikwado who had returned to his village to inform his father of the cheering news was allegedly pressured by his father to undergo the fortification ritual which will guarantee his success abroad.

The native doctor reportedly claimed that for the young man to be properly fortified, he needed to be buried alive for one hour and thirty minutes. Unfortunately, when Chikwado was exhumed after the stipulated time, he was found dead.

A friend of Chikwado who begged for anonymity said, “Chikwado’s visa was ready, and he went to his village in Ugbaike, Igbo-Eze North LGA, to inform his father. His father insisted they must visit a native doctor for fortification to guarantee his success abroad. 

"They met Onuwa, the native doctor, who said Chikwado should be buried alive for 1 hour and 30 minutes. After that time, they exhumed him, but he was already dead”.

Confirming the incident in a statement on Wednesday, the spokesman of Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe said the native doctor and the deceased's father were arrested for alleged conspiracy and murder of Chikwado Eze.

Ndukwe disclosed that the native doctor confessed to the crime and the previous performance of such rituals, attributing the death of the victim to his non-adherence to certain ritualistic rules he earlier prescribed for him.

The statement reads in part, "A native doctor, one Onuwa Odugu, aged 48, and Uwakwe Eze, aged 67, were arrested for conspiracy and murder of Eze's 26-year-old son, one Chikwado Celestine Eze.

"The incident is alleged to have occurred when Uwakwe Eze took his son to the native doctor's shrine for rituals intended to fortify him with charms. 

"However, during the ritual, the deceased was buried in a coffin but he unfortunately died in the process. He was rushed to the hospital and confirmed dead by the attending doctor, and his body deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy."  

He said that the case is under investigation, and the suspects will be arraigned in court once they conclude investigations.