Nigeria's Historical Throw Back Lane -8

Take a walk down Nigeria's memory lane and see where the path might lead you....

*Flashback*

Edward Okeke circa* 1957 -  9^th Nov 2000 (a.k.a Eddy Nagwu, Alusi N’ Eje Uka) 

“Prophet”  Eddy Nagwu was born in Nagwu, in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, to Ozo and Mrs Nwoye  Okeke. Not much is known about his growing up, but at around 29years of age he had suddenly been “visited“ and thus was able to see beyond the ordinary. 

Subsequently Eddy set up his Anioma Healing Centre Nagwu, with sole purpose of healing the sick and giving hope to the hopeless, but that wasn’t exactly the case. After a few years people started speaking of his illicit activities, in 1990 for instance worshipers in one of his services were told to bless two men who the prophet had prayed for previously for breakthrough (it turned out that the duo had successfully transported hard drugs to Europe without being caught).

Eddy Nagwu became more visible, daring and pronounced by the mid 90s, he became friends with almost all the questionable millionaires of that era, they all paid him homage and had him perform tasks such as house openings and dedication of infants. He was said to be well known by most military administrators of the time, most of them visited him at his healing centre where he “prayed” for them. 

He proudly bore the names “Alusi n` eje uka translating to The deity that goes to Church and Okala Mmadu, Okala Muo translating to Half man, half spirit. 

By 1999 and the birth of democracy, the Anambra State government had set up the Bakassi Vigilante Group, with a single mandate to fish out criminals, sponsors of criminal gangs and men of questionable characters. 

Eddy was visited 14 times before the men were able to match his powers, and apprehend him on November 4, 2000. A lot of business men and sitting governors were said to have pled his release including a former Nigerian president and a sitting West African Warlord at that time.

It is alleged that during his detention he confessed to a lot of sordid actions, claiming to be particularly gifted in making potent charms capable of aiding its users to disappear in awkward situations, for protection he made concoctions by killing 3-day old babies and bathing the subject with the remains, for money he would sacrifice a pregnant woman and the developing foetus, total number of people killed for these purposes where pegged at 93, with 16 children missing from a maternity in Onitsha traced to him. 

He was said not to be able to sleep during the duration of his stay in the cell after his hair was shaved. Before he was cut into pieces and burnt, by the vigilante at the Ochanja market square Onitsha, he was said to have repeatedly begged to be thrown into the River Niger alive, and also advised everyone he had given a walking stick over the years to discard it in the same river upon his death.

He was married to Joyce Okeke and together they were parents to 8 biological children.

Reference

Bakassi Boys -  Human Rights Watch  www.hrw.org

Death Of A Miracle Man  www.allafrica.com

www.gamji.com

Tell, December 11, 2000