Danger:
“Indigenous strangers” to become elders of Igboland in 50 years – report
…as “mkpuru mmiri” ravages Igbo communities
…Mgbidi suspend masqueradesysytem for 2 years to checkmate ‘Mkpuru mmiri’
Mere speaking of Igbo language and bearing of names such as Tochukwu, Kenechukwu, Chikaodiri, Chidera, Ugochukwu and Chukwuemeka is not enough to make one Igbo.
In every society, the ability to understand the customs, traditions and culture of a certain society and abide by them is what makes one part of such a society not just your name and language one speaks.
No society embraces social deviants. The Igbo society of old always ostracize and banish anybody who always does abnormal things, engages in evil activities and do those things that desecrate the land.
All over Igbo-land, be it in South-East Nigeria, some within South-South Nigeria and few within the Middle Belt of Nigeria, there is a huge danger of terrible successors emerging from different towns, villages, kindreds and families.
These successors are so alien to the cultures of their lands and have zero knowledge of whom they are notwithstanding that majority of them were born and bred at home.
Whatever they touch, they destroy. Nothing is sacred to them. Nothing is to be respected in their worldview.
To them, no day is special and no time is worth it without extravagant funfair and expensive jokes.
They can dance when mourning is necessary. They can laugh where cry is the only thing needed. They can fight when peace is the only chance for survival.
These brand new youths do not have any sense of adherence. They are recalcitrant, insubordinate and ungovernable. However, tomorrow belongs to them as they will soon turn elders. Woe to those they will lead.
Who are these people? As unfortunate as it may sound, they are not imported from anywhere else. They were born by Igbo couples. They are the “Indigenous strangers” and they have come to stay except they are stopped now!
The danger these people pose to the entire Igbo-land is better imagined than witnessed. There is virtually no community in Igbo-land where their bold and abominable footprints are not visible.
Their first port of call is to unanimously abolish anything taboo or abomination. These people do not believe in Aru (taboo) and Nsoala (abomination). They can urinate in their mother’s kitchen without giving a hoot about the consequences.
The dangerous effect of methamphetamine (mkpuru mmiri) in Igbo communities
The activities of these “indigenous strangers” are made easier and smooth since they discovered the evil efficacy of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride (crystal meth), popularly known as ‘Mkpuru Mmiri’ in Igbo land.
Experts say Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and illegal psychostimulant drug that is similar to amphetamine. It is used for its powerful euphoric effects, which are similar to those of cocaine.
They also say that the effect lasts longer than cocaine. It is cheaper, and it is easy to make with commonly available ingredients and ever since this particular drug entered into villages in Igbo-land, things have fallen apart.
Ichie Ubaka Akamiro, an elder from Amorka, one of the communities worst hit by the emergence of the “Indigenous strangers” in Ihiala LGA of Anambra State, said that if nothing is done and fast evil will defeat good in Igbo-land.
“I’m afraid that we may have ended up bringing up monsters. I no longer correct any child that’s not mine because the last one I did, I was nearly ripped apart by girls within the ages of 17-19 right here in this village.
“They can sleep with each other on a playground without minding the consequences. As I speak to you, those days when people are advised to come back home to see innocent girls to marry are over. I bet you that girls in the universities are more innocent than what we have around villages.
“I do my business between Orlu, Owerri and Ihiala axis and every night as I’m going to my home, I know what I see. People are no longer afraid of incest. People with blood ties can agree to make love in bushes and nobody is talking.
“I’m a traditional man and I’m saying this, if nothing is done, this land will start destroying our children because what they’re currently doing is what we call Aru! This is pure taboo.
“I plead with the government to look into this selling and buying of “Mkpuru Mmiri”. No community in Nnewi zone (Anambra South Senatorial Zone) and Orlu zone (Imo West Senatorial Zone) is safe.”
Pastor Godswill Uzoma, from Ebenator, Orsu LGA said that the worst of the matter is that none of the young men and women thinks of something else nowadays except who can better each other in sexual activities.
“Before, we fear to send our children to the city because we believe there is a whole lot of corruption out there. However, I don’t think any city can corrupt a child who grew up between the Njaba River Basin and this Orashi River Basin communities.
“Let me put the description correctly. The level of corruption especially drug abuse and sexual immoralities going on around Ihiala, Mgbidi, Ebenator, Okija, Uli, Awo-Omamma, Omuma, Awo-Idemili, Nempi, Ibiasoegbe, Amorka, Orsumoghu, Isseke, Ubuluisiuzo, Amiri, Orlu, Egbuoma, Oguta, Umuaka, Okwudor, Amandugba and down to Nnewi and Ozubulu is unprecedented.
“I learnt the drug called Mkpuru Mmiri gives their boys sexual virility while it helps their ladies maintain a trim figure. I don’t know how true all these are but we’ve heard and seen what this drug is turning our peaceful communities into.
“Our children are acting like imported criminals and aliens from another planet. One man from our neighboring village was shocked the day some vigilante boys caught his daughter who is in SS-2 having sexual intercourse with two boys in a bush.
“They said they went for Block Rosary and seized the opportunity to mess up. Some who even claims to be going for night vigils of various Pentecostal churches here do the same.
“Honestly if not for safety and security reasons, I’ll give you names you can go and see how many families here in Orsu LGA and Oru East LGA have all been in trouble because of this situation.
“You see young men flogging their grandparents and trying to make love to their relatives. I’m still surprised that the majority of the elders in this area have not risen to solve this matter because it’ll eat everything up soon.”
Mgbidi bans masquerade for two years, begins cultural restoration
Engineer Ndubuaku Onyekachi, a prominent youth leader from Umuaguma, Ali-Enyi Autonomous Community, Mgbidi, Oru West LGA of Imo State said that one of the measures taken by his community to tackle the activities of “Indigenous strangers” is the decision to ban the masquerade system for two years.
He said, “Mgbidi is a land of tradition. It’s a land that does not joke with customs and traditions and that has been helping us to grow to the level we are today. Masquerade System is one unique part of our cultural heritage. It’s a very important aspect of our tradition and we have rules and regulations guiding the Mgbidi Masquerade System.
“It’s not something for youths who aren’t knowledgeable about it ought to toy with. It has prestige and respect, but can also be used for entertainment. Back then when our people don’t have television, our masquerades are one of the serious means of entertainment.
“On a serious note, we also use it to cleanse the land whenever someone commits any abominable act. It is a system that ensures socio-cultural control in our land. Nowadays, some youths have created criminal masquerades they use for stealing and raping.
“Some use it for violent settling of disputes under the guise of masquerades so that nobody will hold them responsible for their evil actions. Some of these youths now use masquerades to forcefully extort money and even beg money from motorists.
“This has reduced the respect and prestige of our revered masquerade system in Mgbidi. This is the land of the great masquerades like Udumnehi (number-1 in Mgbidi), Emosiaka, Ezekwereobi, Akarukwe and many of them. We cannot allow this to happen.”
Onyekachi said that it is disheartening to see some youths using masquerades as child’s play and teddy bears that now enter motorcycles, drink alcohol and collect money from people whom it ought to entertain.
“Imagine masquerades entering motorcycle, imagine security agents arresting masquerades because of the evil those unguided youths are perpetrating with masquerades. Mgbidi masquerades that are well respected all over Igbo-land now look like mere teddy bears.
“This is why our people have decided that enough is enough. We have banned masquerades for two years to enable us to restructure and restore the image of our masquerade system. We’ve gone around our villages to inform our people of this move.
“It may not last up to two years if the restructuring could kick-off fast. The ban must not be up to two years, but the main aim is to checkmate those fake masquerades with funny names that nobody knows where their shrines (Ekwuru) are located.
“We have recognized masquerades in Mgbidi and such are not used for this evil. What they’re doing now is to construct masquerades that can come out from anywhere, people rent them to go out to look for money. We cannot allow a few individuals to mess our tradition up.
“Henceforth out of the eleven villages that make up Mgbidi, none will allow any masquerades to come out without the head of the masquerade system knowing about it.
“We’ve taken records of how many traditionally recognized masquerades in Mgbidi and we know them. After smoking Mkpuru Mmiri they’ll carry masquerade as means of getting money to take more Mkpuru Mmiri.”
