Civilization has saturated Nigeria with modern gadgets that have made communication easier, business transactions exciting, religion very comfortable and human relationship better. However, civilization still has a long way to go when it comes to eradicating a lot of barbaric practices that our ancient fathers had practiced. We have the following die hard barbaric practices still happening in Nigeria;
(1) Female Genital Mutilation
Oh Death, where is thy sting? For the widow, a woman who has just been bereaved of her husband, death stings, strips her bare and exposes her to humiliating physical and psychological violence; often in the name of culture, usually by those who should console her and support her in her time of bereavement.
Widowhood practices in West Africa are considered part of cleansing rituals designed to remove the bond that links a living spouse to a dead one. These practices are carried out as part of culture. Therefore, anyone who fails to fulfil the requirements of the rituals risks social exclusion and family or personal calamity. The Igbos of South-Eastern Nigeria (comprising Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu and Anambra States) widowhood practices impact on the life, health and wellbeing of women.
Widows suffer a disproportionate form of ritual cleansing compared to widowers in Igbo culture. Widows may be subjected to the following:
1. Scraping or Cutting of hair (on the head and pubic area) with a blunt razor
2. Crying loudly for long and sustained periods
3. Lying down or sleeping next to the corpse of the dead spouse
4. Forced to drink water which has been used to wash the dead spouse
5. Stripped naked or made to bathe in public
6. Jeered or pushed around if she fails to cry loud enough or long enough
7. Made to sit on a hard floor while she cries
8. Dressed in filthy clothes or rags as a sign or mourning
9. Subjected to hurtful comments and possibly accused of causing the death of her spouse
10. Prevented from washing or having a bath for a given period
11. Forced to eat from unwashed bowls
12. Requested to be in a period of mourning for 1 year
A widow may suffer one or many of the rituals listed. Her treatment differs from state to state and even village to village, according to Dr. Esther Nzewi in her book Widowhood practices: A female perspective.
(4) Witch Hunts
In this era where aircraft are flying around the skies, people are still haunting for people who are believed to be witches. When someone is identified as a witch that is the end of public association with that person. Sometimes, they are killed without allowing the law to take its position in the matter.
(5)Slavery
The end of the ancient slavery where the blacks were subjected to labour has come and gone. It has been replaced by modern slavery which seems to be the worse. Ladies are sold outside their countries for prostitution and other ill vices.
Kids are kidnapped and taken to farms to work and child trafficking has equally made it a lucrative business.
(6)Little Witches
This is real: Ifot (witchcraft or witch)
remains one of the very few indigenous words a first-time visitor to
Akwa Ibom State is likely to quickly pick up from among the people of
the state. This is because in Akwa Ibom State, almost every misfortune
is attributed to ifot. Here, a migraine or a student’s poor academic
performance or even poor record of sales in a business shop
would most likely be traceable to ifot. Here, everyone does live in fear, and everyone is a potential suspect.
Akwa Ibom is generally believed to be among the top states in Nigeria that remained plagued by witchcraft killings. The oil-rich state assumed international spotlights few years ago with the showing of a documentary titled ‘Dispatches: Saving Africa’s Witch Children’ which was aired in a TV station in the United Kingdom.
The documentary which went viral on the Internet through YouTube and other video-sharing websites showed a self-styled cleric, Bishop Sunday William boasting “I killed up to 110 people identified to be witch.”
The documentary expectedly prompted international awareness
and concern over the situation in Akwa Ibom, and may have in some ways
contributed to the passing of the Child Rights Law in the state by the
current administration of Governor Godswill Akpabio. As it is, Akwa Ibom
State may never have the correct statistics of those tortured, maimed
or killed on suspicion of witchcraft. Likewise, the state may never have
a complete picture of the public relations disaster this phenomenon has
caused it. What is most worrisome, however, is the seeming helplessness
of the government and the state security system in tackling this
retrogressive phenomenon.
(7) Cannibalism
People still eat their fellow humans in some parts of Nigeria. Most times, we do not hear about it but in few cases, their atrocities are opened to the public.
(8)Human Sacrifice
Most human sacrifices are done for religious reasons -- to appease or please deities and spirits. As horrendous as it sounds, human sacrifice is actually not a new phenomenon: it has been taking place from the beginning of time in all cultures through all ages and civilizations.
In today’s Nigeria body parts are sold and
bought mostly for fetish and magical reasons. And most of the originating
markets for body parts are to be found in the western and eastern part of
the country; still, there is almost no part of the country where one
couldn’t find whatever part one was interested in. Even so, there are
specific ethnic groups where it is culturally and religiously forbidden to
engage in human sacrifice and or to trade in or violate dead bodies, i.e.
the Ijaw ethnic group in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
And indeed, there are people who believe
that money and fame and good fortune can be acquired if certain parts of
the human anatomy are consumed or sacrificed; there is the believe that
supernatural commands can be only be effected if certain body parts are
altered. Legends abound about market women who use body parts as part of
their trading strategy. It could be true or perhaps mere fabrication, but
there is the story of a popular pepper soup joint in Port Harcourt, and
others in Lagos, Aba, and Akure where it is alleged that the owners uses
bits and pieces of human liver and human heart as spices.
(9) Rituals
We always find people with some parts of the bodies cut after they must have been killed for some sort of rituals.
(10) Cultism
Why did the students
decide to form such a group? Nigeria in the 1940s and 1950s was on the
verge of gaining political independence. The nationalistic fervour in the
country gave a warning signal to the colonialists that the sun was about
to set on the British empire. Trade union consciousness and militancy
soared under the leadership of Michael Imuodu. Political parties sprang up
in the major centres of the country which raised political awareness and
questioned the continued stay of the colonialists in the country. Nigerian
students were not left out of this social change. They questioned the
conscription of Kings’ college students into the colonial army to fight in
the World war II and eventually created a conducive background for the
emergence of the popular National council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
(later Citizens) (NCNC). The idea of the students was to respond to the
demands of the time, enhance cultural nationalism and fight the
tribalisation of politics which was given a boost by the Richards
constitution of 1946.
It is noteworthy
that the group was not to harm, maim, kill and destroy as their
cohesiveness and absolute allegiance to rules made it become an elite
club, only for the cleanest, brightest and the politically conscious. They
teleguided political events and held important positions within the
student body like President, Chief Judge, P.R.O and Secretary. Their
existence was well known by students and was not associated with weird,
horrorful and spiteful character of latter-day confraternities. The Anti
Anglo-defence pact with
Britain riot and the
“Ali must go” students protest of 1978 was ably handled by members of the
Pyrates confraternity.
Over the years, due
to doctrinal differences and inability of intending members to meet
required standards of the Pyrates confraternity, protestant ones started
emerging like the Buccaneers, Mafia and Vickings. T
he early
nineties witnessed a boom as every university was plagued with cult
explosion such as the Black Axe, Black Cats, Trojan Horse, Black
Panthers, the Twelve Disciples, Mgba Mgba Brothers, Eiye, Maphites, Temple
of Eden, The Jurists, Klu Klux Klan, The Executioners, Black Beret,
Dreaded friend of friends, National Association of Adventurers, Black
Scorpion, Eagle Club, Termites, Red Sea Horses, Knight Cadet, Sonmen,
White Angels, Amazons, Daughters of Jezebel, and the Black Brassieres.
Civilization has
saturated Nigeria with modern gadgets that have made communication
easier, business transactions exciting, religion very comfortable and
human relationship better.
However, civilization still has a long way to go when it comes to
eradicating a lot of barbaric practices that our ancient fathers had
practiced.
We have the following die hard barbaric practices still happening in
Nigeria;
Female Genital Mutilation
10 Barbaric Practices That Still Exist In Nigeria1 10 Barbaric Practices
That Still Exist In Nigeria
Even some so called civilized and educated parents including few who are
outside the shores of Africa are still supporting this act called
female circumcision.
It is believed to be a religious obligation that can control the libido
of a woman.
Osu – The Igbo caste system
10 Barbaric Practices That Still Exist In Nigeria. 10 Barbaric Practices
That Still Exist In Nigeria
An osu is considered as a person who is owned by the gods. In some parts
of the Eastern Nigeria, this practice is still on. The victims are not
expected to have any dealing with others.
Maltreatment Of Widows
10 Barbaric Practices That Still Exist In Nigeria3 10 Barbaric Practices
That Still Exist In Nigeria
In some parts of the Eastern Nigeria, when a husband dies, the widow is
subjected to an untold suffering.
Everything that is owned by the husband is taken away, leaving her and
kids to look for help elsewhere.
Witch Hunts
In this era where aircraft are flying around the skies, people are still
haunting for people who are believed to be witches.
When someone is identified as a witch that is the end of public
association with that person. Sometimes, they are killed without
allowing the law to take its position in the matter.
Slavery
10 Barbaric Practices That Still Exist In Nigeria5 10 Barbaric Practices
That Still Exist In Nigeria
The end of the ancient slavery where the blacks were subjected to labour
has come and gone. It has been replaced by modern slavery which seems
to be the worse.
Ladies are sold outside their countries for prostitution and other ill
vices. Kids are kidnapped and taken to farms to work and child
trafficking has equally made it a lucrative business.
Little Witches
10 Barbaric Practices That Still Exist In Nigeria6 10 Barbaric Practices
That Still Exist In Nigeria
From Akwa State, you would come to hear that some kids are witches who
cause misfortune to their families and loved ones.
These kids are not spared with violence and they are often maimed for
life.
Cannibalism
10 Barbaric Practices That Still Exist In Nigeria 10 Barbaric Practices
That Still Exist In Nigeria
People still eat their fellow humans in some parts of Nigeria. Most
times, we do not hear about it but in few cases, their atrocities are
opened to the public.
Human Sacrifice
10 Barbaric Practices That Still Exist In Nigeria7 10 Barbaric Practices
That Still Exist In Nigeria
The ancient gods are still powerful in some parts of Nigeria where
humans are required for sacrifices to appease one god or the other.
Rituals
10 Barbaric Practices That Still Exist In Nigeria8 10 Barbaric Practices
That Still Exist In Nigeria
We always find people with some parts of the bodies cut after they must
have been killed for some sort of rituals.
Cultism
10 Barbaric Practices That Still Exist In Nigeria9 10 Barbaric Practices
That Still Exist In Nigeria
This is rampant and has become one of the dared cultures in almost every
city in Nigeria. The members are feared and the public stay away from
them to avoid being punished or at times killed
SOURCE: Ireporters TV
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Hmmm...I doubt if these stuff about widows' maltreatment still exist in Igboland cos I'm yet to see anyone in my villa treated that harshly. The only thing I know people do is to cut their hair( which most women even afford to do voluntarily as a sign of respect for their dead husband). The case of drinking water used to bathe corpse or sleeping beside a corpse is when the community suspects a woman of being the cause of her husband's death then she's made to prove her innocence by such trial by ordeal. I have not seen or heard it done in my place as well. Those practices are no more widespread the way it is painted to be by the author of this post. They were not even custom in the first place but act of malice against a woman by her relatives who feel she didn't allow them enjoy part of the man's wealth when he was alive or those who feel she maltreated her husband thereby causing his death.
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