Category / Blog Post

by donnedibenincitypalermo

10/03/17 – THE GUARDIAN NGR – Oba of Benin moves against human traffickers, cultists

LINK:  Oba of Benin moves against human traffickers, cultists

The Oba of Benin Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Ewuare II, has placed a curse on perpetrators of human trafficking and their collaborators including native doctors and priests who administer the oath of secrecy on victims.

The Oba placed the curse yesterday in Benin City while meeting with Enogie, Edionwere, and priests of different deities in Benin and native doctors at his palace.

Others, who attended the meeting, are senior and junior priests of Okhuaihe, senior and junior priests of Ovia, all priests in Iyekogba, all priests of Ake, all priestesses and native doctors as well as market women leaders.

He said the oath of secrecy administered on the victims has been encouraging the illegal trade called on all native doctors to shun the act and join hands with the palace to attract development and progress to the kingdom.

“It is reported that at the beginning the traffickers take their victims to native doctors to take an oath that they will not disclose the names of their traffickers and sponsors.

“Your power is to fight for the progress of Benin kingdom and not to be used for the destruction of our young people”.

He also invoked his power as the spiritual leader of Benin kingdom nullified all the oaths of secrecy administered on all victims of human trafficking and urged them to speak out and seek assistance.

While disclosing that statistics from relevant agencies reveal that most of those trafficked in Nigeria are from Benin, Oba Ewuare deplored the practice where gainfully employed artisans sell their working tools to pay their traffickers.

“We have some people gainfully employed as mechanics, welders, tailors, selling their working tools to pay traffickers to take them to Italy, Germany.

“Those, who traffic people to Italy, Germany and other countries first take them to Libya where they are enslaved”.

He urged the native doctors to tell all victims of human trafficking to speak out as all oaths of secrecy have been nullified.

“From today, we no longer want to hear of human trafficking in Benin. I hope those who have been involved in this illegal trade will stop from today.

“All native doctors who have administered the oath of secrecy on victims of human trafficking should also tell those they administered such oath on to speak out.

“Am appealing to all native doctors to stop administering such oaths on trafficked victims and all such oaths are hereby nullified.

“No native doctor should do any charm for any potential illegal migrant to cross the international border. Those who did it before now are forgiven and whoever does it from today will face the wrought of our ancestors”, the monarch warned.

Speaking with newsmen after the royal pronouncement, zonal commander, National Agency for the Prohibition in Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, Barrister Nduka Nwanwennee pointed out that the Oba’s intervention is a significant milestone in the war against human trafficking and illegal migration.

“Before now, victims of human trafficking rarely open up to give evidence in court because of they have taken. They are afraid and believe that the oath will have an effect on them as the native doctors who administered such oaths have their personal items like fingernails, pubic hair, menstrual pads, pants, photographs etc.

“Now that those oaths have been nullified by the monarch, our power of prosecution has been enhanced and we can now rescue more victims,” he said.

by donnedibenincitypalermo

10/03/18 – THE NATION NGR – Human trafficking: Oba of Benin forces native doctors to revoke curses placed on victims

LINK: Human trafficking: Oba of Benin forces native doctors to revoke curses placed on victims

Posted By: Osagie OTABOR, Benin 

Edo State victims of human trafficking can now call the bluff of agents who threaten them with dire consequences of oaths sworn to in the process of taking them abroad.

The oaths which are often administered by native doctors engaged by the agents were reversed yesterday by the same native doctors.

The oath reversal was at the instance of the Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II, at a special meeting in his palace to stop human trafficking in the state which comes tops in the illegal act in Nigeria.

An oath taking process ,according to victims, involve the invocation of parts of their bodies as collateral to force them pay back the money spent by the agents to take them  mainly to Europe where they end up as prostitutes.

Hundreds of native doctors converged on the Oba of Benin palace yesterday to heed the monarch’s call.

Oba Ewuare 11 said Governor Godwin Obaseki had pleaded with him to help reduce the spate of human trafficking in the state.

The state, he pointed out, has had enough of the embarrassment that comes with human trafficking and it is time to put an immediate end to it.

He said while the palace has nothing against the practice of native medicine, it will not condone a situation where it is used to “perpetrate evil in the land through aiding and abetting human trafficking.”

He said: “You native doctors whose business is to subject people to oath of secrecy and encouraging evil act in the land, you have to repent, stop doing it.

“This is not a joking matter and if you do not repent, you’ll see the repercussions.”

He cursed human traffickers and native doctors who subject Benin sons and daughters to oaths of secrecy, initiate them into cults or encourage violation of the order banning Community Development Associations.

He warned that anyone persisting should be ready to face the wrath of the gods.

He then directed the native doctors present to revoke the curses and oaths already placed on trafficked victims.

The Benin Monarch declared: “We want to use this medium to tell those who are under any oath of secrecy that they are now free. We revoke the oath today.

“What the palace stands for is peace and the development of the state. I want to use this medium to tell you that the act of using charms to aid trafficking, the palace seriously frowns at it.

“We want us to join hands together to fight against human trafficking in the land.”

Those who took part in the swearing exercise were priests from various shrines in the state such as the Ohen Okhuae, Ohen Ovia, Ohen noriyekeogba, Ohen Ake, Ohen Niwuo, native doctors, Ohen Sango,  Odionwere, Iwueki and the  Enigies.

by donnedibenincitypalermo

10/03/18 – LAILA NEWS – See the ‘Juju’ Oba of Benin used to revoke curses at the palace yesterday

LINK: See the ‘Juju’ Oba of Benin used to revoke curses at the palace yesterday

by Laila Ijeoma

 

Screen Shot 2018-05-07 at 14.30.38Screen Shot 2018-05-07 at 14.30.46

 

According to reports, the last time the Ososomaye was brought out into the open was about 400 years ago.

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare 11, yesterday placed a curse on people engaged in human trafficking in Edo state. Others that were cursed by the Monarch are the native doctors who administer the oath of secrecy on victims. The Oba and his palace chiefs asserted that the gods of Benin Kingdom would destroy those involved in the illicit trade.

The traditional Palace Juju ‘Ososomaye’ of Great Benin kingdom was reportedly brought out for the first time yesterday to face the sun in the presence of all Palace chiefs, native doctors and women leaders who witnessed the traditional occasion.

According to reports, the last time the Ososomaye was brought out into the open was

about 400 years ago. And according to the tradition of the Benin Kingdom, anytime the Ososomaye sees the sun, it does not fail to carry out any assignment it is deployed to run. It is reported that anyone that suffers from the curse of the Ososomaye will not only be affected but his generations will also be jinxed.

Tradition has it that the last time it was deployed and brought out to see the sun was during the reign of Oba Ewuare 1.

The ‘Ososomaye’ is what all the spiritual heads in Edo kingdom report to.

The Osososmaye was paraded before the Kings and the Place chiefs in the presence of the media. The Oba of Benin then revoked the curses placed on victims of human trafficking; while curses were placed on human traffickers, cultists and cult activities and land grabbers in Benin kingdom henceforth.

According to reports, Edo state tops the list of the states within the country with the highest rate of human trafficking. Victims are subjected to all sorts of rituals and oaths and curses are sometimes place on them if they renege on the agreement they have with the trafficker.

 
by donnedibenincitypalermo

09/03/18 – DAILY POST NIGERIA – Edo native doctors revoke curses placed on trafficked victims

LINK: Edo native doctors revoke curses placed on trafficked victims

By 

The Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II, on Friday forced the native doctors in Edo state to revoke the curses and oaths placed on the trafficked victims of human trafficking in the state.

Many victims of human trafficking are usually made to swear to oaths and some of their body parts collected as collateral to make them pay back the money used to sponsor them.

After the revocation of curses, the Benin Monarch declared that the trafficked victims were now free from their traffickers and whatever oaths they were placed on.

Oba Ewuare II also placed a curse in human traffickers and those aiding and abetting human trafficking in the state.

He cursed the native doctors who subject victims to oath of secrecies, violators of the order banning Community Development Associations and others whose business is to initiate the sons and daughters of the land into various cult groups.

Those who took part in the swearing exercise were priests from various shrines in the state such as the Ohen Okhuae, Ohen Ovia, Ohen noriyekeogba, Ohen Ake, Ohen Niwuo, Native Doctors, Ohen Sango, Odionwere, Iwueki and the Enigies.

Oba Ewuare II warned those aiding and abetting human trafficking through the use of black magic and subjecting them to the oath of secrecies to desist from the act or face the wrath of the gods.

He declared that those under oath of secrecies have been set free and at liberty to air their views as well as reveal their sponsors without fear of any harm from their sponsors.

The Benin Monarch stated the interest of the palace was to work for the development and progress of the state and urged all his subjects to work towards that direction by doing what is right.

His words, “You native doctors whose business are to subject people to the oath of secrecies and encouraging this evil act on the land, you have to repent, stop doing it. This is not a joking matter and if you do not repent, you have to wait for the repercussion”, he said.

“The palace is not against those practicing the act of native doctors but those who use it to perpetrate evil in the land through aiding and abetting human trafficking in the state.

“We want to use this medium to tell those who are under any oaths of secrecies that they are now free. We revoke the oath today.

“What the Palace stands for is peace and the development of the state. I want to use this medium to tell you that the act of using charms to aid trafficking, the palace seriously frowns at it.

“We want us to join hands together to fight against human trafficking in the land”, he said.

He said there have been positive reports about Edo State and that such positive report must be sustained.

The Oba said the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has pleaded with him to help reduce the spate of human trafficking in the state adding that before now, he has been in the vanguard against human trafficking in the state.