Okey Maduforo, AWKA 
Enuguagulu in Aguleri, one of the communities in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State was deserted when New Telegraph visited the area last week.
Most buildings and homesteads were empty and only women and little children were seen either coming back from school or from the farms.
The commercial okada riders confirmed that all the men and youths in the area have fled their homes for the fear of being arrested by the police.
Those approached by this reporter refused to speak suspecting that the journalist is a policeman that had come to spy the area for suspects.
The people flee the area as a result of the inhuman treatment meted out on Madam Ajuese, who was stripped naked and paraded all around the Aguleri town for allegedly sexing her husband to death.
Two days after the treatment, officers and men of the Anambra State Police Command stormed the area and made some arrests and it was gathered that six persons are already in the police net and more are being searched for.
The arrest was made possible following the trending video on social media which showed the inhuman treatment on Ajuese where the perpetrators were seen chatting abusive songs against the lady.
The first allegation was that she sexed her husband Mr Udorji Egwuatu to death but later fresh facts emerged that she was sleeping with a certain man even when she is married which according to reports is taboo in Aguleri town.
The consequences of such actions are that the husband would fall sick and ultimately die if he sleeps with his wife without performing the traditional cleansing.
But this reporter gathered from the kinsmen of Ajuese that their sister had no hand in the death of her husband contending that the husband died as a result of breaking an oath he took with his age grade.
She said: “They took an oath among his age mates that no one would offend or covert the property or other personal effects of a fellow member which would result in ultimate death.
“Our in-law went and slept with the wife of one of their age mates and that resulted in his falling sick and dying in the process. Our sister was not sleeping around with men as our in-laws claimed; a kinsman narrated.”
But when Ajuese was said to have been approached through a voice note on WhatsApp, she was said to have narrated a story about a certain man who have been after she had continuously resisted the man’s overtures.
She said: “He has been after me and I told him that I will tell my husband but he continued to disturb me and one day I was lying down outside the man came and pleaded that I should allow him to ejaculate on my laps which I hesitantly obliged but he didn’t go in.”
Ajuese further alleged that the witch doctor at his shrine forced her to own up so that the traditional cleansing would be done to save her from the consequences.
However, another narrative about the incident had to do with a land matter owned by the late husband and that there was a conspiracy among his brothers to kill him and set the wife up in order to disgrace her of marriage.
Those arrested include the late husband’s brother the juju priest that was alleged to have been treating the man as well as a woman and three others.
“I want to use this opportunity to update you on the video that recently trended where a lady was indecently assaulted and publicly disgraced over the alleged incident of causing her husband’s death.
“The Command operatives have arrested a total of six additional suspects including a native doctor who was identified during the study of the video by police operatives. The suspects are Anthony Obanye ‘M’ 44years, Udalor Egwuatu Nnalue ‘M’ 46years, Godwin Ezechukwu ‘M’ 42yrs, Nonso Ezechukwu ‘M’ 20years, Philomena Onyekwe ‘F’ 27years and Chineyere Mmachi ‘F’ 32years.”
Investigation revealed that the deceased, Mr Udorji Egwatu, had been sick for some time when his brother, Mr Udalor took him to Anthony a native doctor.
Anthony confessed to having taken the disease on some spiritual cleansing and administered him some herds before he died. It was Anthony who allegedly told the family of the deceased that the cause of his death was a result of the wife’s infidelity.
At Otu market in Aguleti where the father to Ajuese Mr Obiora Nnaso is doing his business, his shop was under lock and key but he was later met at his residence where he made a strong revelation that he never supported the relationship between his daughter and the late husband adding that the so-called in-laws have never visited him or know the road to his house.
“I never liked that man and I never supported that relationship that you call marriage. I came back from Warri where I was doing my business and relocated finally to this town and ever since my daughter has not visited me despite all efforts to make her speak with me.
“Maybe because I was against the marriage and even the young man until death does not the route to my house and he doesn’t care.
“The last time I spoke with my daughter on phone she told me that her husband is sick and that they are going somewhere in Ayamelum local government area to a herbalist or priest and I asked why are they going there?
“Then some days ago I heard a knock on my door and it was my daughter and she told me that her husband is dead and I asked her to go back that I would come the following morning.
“I got there and saw the lifeless body under the heat of the sun and I asked those present to get a coffin and put him in there and bury him.
“The family had nothing to offer over the funeral of their brother and I was the one that even bought the drinks for those that dug the grave.
“When I asked of my daughter they told me that she was taken to a certain shrine known as Igbezu and I was surprised at that and later they told me that they are taking my daughter to the home of her Agili that means her man friend in Nnando community and I wondered why they are doing this.
“It was when people started calling me that my daughter is being paraded naked across the community accusing her of killing her husband by committing insects by sleeping with another man. What they have done to my daughter is the most inhuman act done to a person and this is sad.
“This is why I refused my daughter going there because I don’t like that family and now it has happened.
“The family doesn’t even know the road to my house and they claim that they are marrying my daughter but I leave everything in the hands of God to judge and this has become my fate and the fate of my daughter because they feel that she has nobody to stand for her.”
Similarly, many Aguleri people have continued to express their reservations over the incident contending that it is not their culture. Anulika Udeano posted on her Facebook page that it is never done in the community.
“What was done to Ajuese is not a culture/tradition in Aguleri. It has never happened anywhere in the Omambala region and we will fight to prevent a repeat of this shameful act. Her husband did not die during or after sex.
“He has been sick for weeks and it’s Ajuese and some of his relatives that were taking him from one hospital to another herbalist.
“There was a medical check report that notes that the man’s blood level is short. He was on medication which didn’t help his condition.
“The native doctor who consulted Afa to know the cause of the sickness which defied orthodox and herbal medicine did not tell anyone to strip her naked. He prescribed what they call IKPU ALU which they went to do at Ajana Ukwu Aguleri shrine.
“The Aguleri elders at Ajana Ukwu shrine did not order or support what was done to Ajuese. They warned the youths to take Ajuese back to her family, after swearing to the oath that the man who made sexual advances at her on three or four occasions didn’t penetrate her but fondled her and orgasm on her laps. An act we all condemned but which does not deserve what was done to her.
“The people who beat and stripped Ajuese are members of her late husband’s family, starting with her sister-in-law and her group of female friends. The men took over by abusing her private body parts as seen in some pictures. It was never an act planned by Aguleri youths.”
Similarly, the Senator representing Anambra North District Princess Stella Odua described the incident as barbaric and abusive and insulted on womanhood.
But the relatives of Ajuese are not backing down at all and they have vowed to get even with their in-laws.
The kinsmen of the widow told this reporter that their sister did not kill her husband but that the husband died as a result of an oath he took with his age mates which he broke. They further alleged that their late in-law slept with the wife of his age mate which caused his mysterious sickness that led to his death.
According to one of the kinsmen who gave his name as Anthony Menkiti, “Our sister did not cause the death of her husband and her husband broke an oath taken by him and his age mates by sleeping with the wife of one of his age mates and took Ill and died.
“Our sister was accused falsely and was given the worst inhuman treatment by the husband’s relative because they felt that she has nobody to fight for her.
“We are only waiting for the police to conclude their job and then we shall show them that she has relations and not even the police would stop us from getting even with those people and I can assure you that we are not making empty threats,” he said.
Also, women under the umbrella of Ultimate Business Women and Farmers Association Nigeria have called for the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the inhuman treatment against the widow.
According to a release signed by the President of the union Hon Nkiru Nwagbo the body also called for the involvement of the Federation of Women Lawyers to take up the matter.
The attention of the Ultimate Businesswomen and farmers Association of Nigeria has been drawn to the inhuman treatment of a woman from Aguleri in Anambra East local government area of Anambra State by a gang of the mob.
“This body wishes to state that we insist that the law must take its course and that the perpetrators must be brought to book. We also call on the Federation of Women Lawyers to take up this matter and rise to defend and protect the right of this embattled woman.
“Similarly this body expresses its appreciation to the Anambra State police command for the arrest made so far and urge the command not to relent in bringing the culprits to book.
“However, the people of Omabala clan made up of Anambra East, Anambra West, Ayamelum and Oyi local government areas have an ancient history of the Agili practice which has to do with a married man or woman having a concubine outside wedlock. This practice has been there before the advent of the Portuguese who settled at Otuocha river market.
“The practice is such that a man is aware that his wife has a concubine somewhere and same as the woman and it was explained that should a man is angry with his legitimate wife the concubine (Agili) would be consulted by his wife to seek ways of making the husband happy and settle the matter.
“Sometimes the wife would go to the husband’s concubine to help her plead with the husband to forgive her.
“The term Agili was said to have been introduced by the Portuguese who could not communicate in neither English language nor Igbo language and the only way of chasing a woman is to ask her direct question ‘Agree?’ which they natives adulterated as Agili . Once the woman accepts their overtures other things can follow.
“It is against this backdrop that most observers are contending that if actually, Ajuese had a man friend out of wedlock known as Agili which is allowed in the area she ought not to have been treated in that manner since all are guilty as charged.”
