Cultism/Traditional Religious Practices And Implication For Society: ” Oebwei” Cult And Boys Initiation In Southern Kaduna- Kagoro In Focus

By Emmanuel Gandu

INTRODUCTION
They are an exclusive group bonded and bound by common practices, beliefs, systems, and ideas that are secret, sacred, shrouded in secrecy, and a shared aspiration only with and to the members.
Hither to, they were mainly of religiously inclined groups but have evolved with time to include cultural groups, students grouos and all kinds of identity groups.
They are widely referred to as cult groups who are involved in cultism.

Cult and cultism is the practice where groups of people with a common vision and mission come together to fraternize. Their activities are mainly manisfested in rituals, praise songs, chants, worship, strict code of conduct, and the like.
Their beliefs are excessively admired, protected, defended, even to the point of laying down their own personal lives.
Membership is not open to any individual unles proven worthy in line with their code of conduct after due diligence of stringent and strict scrutiny.

SOME CULT GROUPS IN NIGERIA
Cult groups and cultism has been part of most of tribal/cultural civilizations in Nigeria. In these groups, the Chief Priest is seen as the custodian of the traditional religious practices of the group. These practices are formed in order to preserve, protect, cherish and defend the group and society in which they operate. Some of their cult practices also involve the sacrifice and or killing of any offending/non conformist member in order to cleanse the land to avoid impending catastrophy/calamity from befalling the land or entity.
Interestingly, activities of some cult groups in the past had served as socialization groups that initiate boys and youths to grow into adulthoid with the intent to qualify them to be entrusted with, and as custodians of the sacrad culture and religious tradition of their community.
Unarguably, these cult groups were seen to serve as arbiters in disputes and conflict resolution. They served to play stabilizing roles during crisis situations.

Some of these cult groups in Nigeria include :
• Ogboni in Igbo culture
• Ekpo in Cross River state
• Odumu in Okrika Rivers state
• Akujane in Igala land
• Ejelekwu in Idoma land
• Eyo in Lagos state
• Ifa in Yoruba culture
• Yemoja in Yoruba culture
• Oriki in Yoruba culture
• Dodo in Hausa culture
• Ombatse of the Eggon tribe in Nasarawa state
• Oebwei in Southern Kaduna culture
• Girmache of the Zuru people in Kebbi state

OEBWEI CULT OF KAGORO
Importace / justification
The Oebwei cult system of the Oegworok (Kagoro people) and indeed other tribes in Southern Kaduna is based on traditional forms of worship practiced since from before the arrival of Christianity to the region.
Since man is religious in nature, the Oebwei system was introduced in order to preach and administer to the people’s needs for a diety, a god, a supreme being, an advocate to interface between the living and their dead ancestors.
‘Oebwei’ in Gworog (Kagoro Language) means an unseen being, a mysterious ever present, omni present, and omni potent being. This being oversees to the spiritual needs as well as the maintenance of the cultural norms. The Oebwei ensures the strict observance of the law and justice system, administrative, and general welfare of the Gworok community.

The Oebwei cult system of Kagoro emerged to fill the void and gap, satisfy and respond to the need for a spirit-god-being that would purify society and rid it of social evils, crime, promisquity and decadence, theft, murder, adultery/sexual abuses, and other negative vices plaguing the society.
Above all, the Oebwei is meant to protect and preserve the cultual norms and traditional religious practices of the people in order to ensure a society devoid of anything ungodly.
The Oebwei cult is founded on a highly spiritual, moral, dedicated and disciplined principles of humanity. The efficacy of Oebwei cult system and shrine is tested on the age-long provision of peace coexistence, intercessory antecedents, prevention of the erosion and pervation of the cherished ideals of the Kagoro community.
Unlike the perception held by a section of the general public that the Oebwei is a dangerous and deregatory group, the Oebwei is never anything near to witchcraft, corcery or destructive but its doctrines and code of conduct are driven with a human face.
Besides, any contravention is meted with the stipulated sanctions and appropriate/comensurate punitive measures.
Moreover, the Oebwei system has built in mechanism and provision for justice, reward and punishment for both the offender, the offended and the recalcitrant.

Interestingly, the vow of secrecy is highly observed by all initiates of the Oebwei cult system. As is generally known, any contravention of the secrecy oath is met with serious sanctions not excluding …….. you will not hear it from me.
For the avoidance of doubt, I was never initiated into the Oebwei cult, and cannot therefore be accussed of breaking any secrecy oath nor subjected to any sanctions. I’m relying on information from my mothers, aunties, free minded friends, persona experience/observations, oral and some very few classified documented archival materials to bring this Oebwei phenomenon to the public domain.
I therefore invite the public to willingly contribute to this discourse in any manner possible so we learn more.

INITIATION INTO THE OEBWEI INSTITUTION
Preparation days :
Oebwei is associated with reincarnation of the dead ancestors who visit the community from time to time, and whenever the need arises.
Therefore, every male adult is expected to have been initiated into the Oebwei in order for him to be a “full bodied man” of the Kagoro community. Women are never initiated. Only the initiated men are qualified to take part in all the activities of both the initiation and other events surrounding the invisible Oebwei.
In addition, non initiates men are not allowed to partake in many traditional rites and functions of Kagoro customs in order to avoid desecration and sacrillagious taboos.

Each clan in Kagoro has a shrine/hut (Tu Oebwei) or (Tu kwon Oebwei).
Young boys after their circumcision remain minors until initiated into the mysteries of Oebwei. The initiation rituals lasts for about three days. During these 3 days the boys to be initiated must live in the secluded shrine away from the public.
The age of entry into the Oebwei cult is between 10 and 14 years.

The initiation ceremony :
The initiation ceremony into the Oebwei is presided over by the “Oegwam Oebwei” (Chief Priest), and assisted by every man already initiated begining with the elders.
On the first day of initiation, the grandfather of every boy to be initiated would have given out :

1. a cock and
2. goat skin.
   The goat skin is the cloth/dress which the boy will put on his body as a vovering before, during and after the initiation ceremony.
   On his part, the biological father of every boy to be initiated would have given out :
3. a hen for the purpose.
   Other items to be prepared/presented are :
4. Junjok udak ( beans dressed with beniseed)
5. Cwan (fried and pounded beniseed)
6. Omio ukau (Mahogany oil)

On the initiation day (Sak Oezah), and before the actual ceremony begins, the boy(s) to be initiated would have been drilled on the following rituals :

1. He would undertake and be sworn to an oath never to give in or surrender to the enemy in times of war. There is no surrender even at the point of death.
2. He will never give out information about the Oebwei cult even at the cost of his life.
3. He will never leak out information on anything that concerns the Kagoro tribe and clan’s classified secrets.
4. He will lay down his life in protection of his clan and the entire Kagoro community.
5. He will not indulge in any bad behaviour that will drag the good name, integrity and reputation of man to the mud. On the graduation day :
   On the graduation day (Tin Oezah) which is the third day the initiation rituals would have been concluded, the following activities takes place :
6. The boys are brought out from the shrine one by one, and carried on the shoulder unconscious, with no sign of life even when dropped on the ground accidentally.
7. When all boys have been evacuated from the shrine, the invisible Oebwei then disappears and would have gone back to the ancestors.
8. The mothers of these boys and other non initiates can now come near the shrine to take a glimpse and welcome back their sons with excitement.
9. Each mother will rub her son with some mahogany oil lavishly over his body and round the neck while he lies helplessly on the shoulders of an initiated relative.
10. Each boy will then be taken home, where he will later regain consciousness.
11. After gaining strength, he will not speak to any woman for the next seven days. And when he does eventually speak to a woman after the mandatery 7 days, it will first be with his mother.
12. The newly initiated boys will regroup with their fellow graduates, visiting each others and eating together for seven days.
13. After the seventh day, a small ceremony with eating, drinking and music will be held for the removal of the goat skin on their bodies. They are now free to put on normal clothes.
14. At this stage, every newly initiated boy is fully aware of his new class and status in the society. His age mates/friends who are not yet to initiated see him with some respect and admiration.

From the foregoing, the initiates having gone through the various rigorious stages of the rituals of Oebwei initiation have become members of the body of, and custodians of the culture and traditional religious life of the Oegworok (Kagoro people)
By successfully going through all the stages of the initiation rituals, the initiates can fully participate in the spiritual, physical, and moral realities of life in Kagoro.
Initiation into the Oebwei is therefore a gateway, a call, a licence to participate, and engage in these realities.

Nnuan Oegwaza nyin nshio’aa ?

SOME CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS CULT GROUPS IN THE WORLD
Religious fundamentalism enjoys the embrace of both Christian and Islamic religious cultism as much as the Traditional African Religion had been put to use by cult practices of the adherents.
Lamentably, some of these Christian and Muslim religious cult groups have continued to subject and unduly influence their members negatively so much such that one wonders if the activities of the African Traditional Religion is not better than what obtains today.
Sadly enough, contemporary Christian and Muslim religious groups and their cult activities and practices leaves much to be desired.
They have ultimately turned out to be the real religious cultism sects, as I see their misconduct worst than the brunt that the Traditional African Religions have been made to bear.
These cult sects include :

1. ‘The People Temple’ founded by the American Rev. Jim Jones moved to Guyana South America to Set up a religious agricultural community whose philosophy evolved from a social gospel that preached human freedom. In 1978, nine hundred and nine (909) of the members including Jim Jones committed class suicide by willfully drinking cyanide, with the belief that all members must die together in order to move to another planet for a life of prosperity and bliss.
2. ‘Heaven’s Gate’ founded by Marshal Applewhite had 37 of their members commit suicide in 1977. They had an unusual belief in UFO.
3. ‘Solar Temple’ was founded by Luc Jouret in 1977. Luc Jouret who believed he was Christ coordinated his members internationally to commit suicide in 1994, believing that the world was coming to an end, and the need not to be part of the Apocalypse.
4. ‘Branch Davidians Students of the Seven Seals’ founded by David Koresh out of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in America saw the invasion of their Hall by armed soldiers to dislodge them as the start of the battle of Armagedon.
5. Jesus of Oyingbo at Maryland Lagos.
6. Maitatsine sect of the 1980’s in Northern Nigeria
7. Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria
8. Al – Qa’eda
9. Al – Shabab

Surely, religion, as stated by Karl Max, German socio economic theorist, “is the Opium of the people.

Peace 🙏
28/1/2025