Group Urges Enugu Govt To Sanction Traditional Rulers, Masquerades Over Human Rights Abuses

A civil society group has called on the Enugu State Government to sanction traditional rulers and community leaders in Nsukka Local Government Area over repeated incidents of human rights abuses allegedly perpetrated by Oriokpa masquerades.

The call follows multiple reports of violence, extortion, and harassment during a recent masquerade outing on July 22, across at least three communities in the Nsukka area.

In one case, a middle-aged man was reportedly beaten into a coma by four masked individuals believed to be Oriokpa masquerades near Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka.

An eyewitness, Meletus Eze, described the chaos and fear inflicted on residents saying, “On July 22nd, Oriokpa masquerades manhandled some innocent citizens at three different places within Nsukka. In one incident, four masquerades pounced on a middle-aged man and beat him into a coma.

“Another happened at Army Barracks road. Another one was reported at Ugwu Nkwo.
Residents were forced to remain indoors. People are molested with impunity on days these masquerades operate.”

The Oriokpa masquerade tradition—originally a cultural practice tied to community mobilization and taxation during precolonial times—has reportedly devolved into a source of fear and violence, with many accusing young men of hijacking the tradition for extortion and criminal acts.

In response to the disturbing incidents, Mazi Chibueze Onah, Convener of the Otobo Nsukka Cultural Zone Community Development Initiative, urged state authorities to hold local leaders accountable and take firm action to curb the excesses of the masquerades.

“What these Oriokpa masquerades are doing is very bad and not in line with our culture. It is hooliganism,” Onah said.

“The original concept of Oriokpa was for taxation enforcement in the olden days. Our people later adopted it for entertainment. But now, some disgruntled young men have hijacked the practice.”
Onah insisted that presidents general and traditional rulers of any community where abuses occur must be held accountable. He advocated for the implementation of strict internal controls at the community level.

“The way forward is to compel community leaders to sign undertakings ensuring that masquerades in their domains do not violate human rights,” he said.

“If anyone is hurt, those leaders must produce the offenders. They should be able to police their communities.”

Onah also emphasized the need for proper masquerade identification systems and cross-community boundaries.

He recalled that there was a time that the masquerades were given tags bearing numbers for identification. He added that, “But it looks like when they want to perpetrate evil acts, they hide their numbers. Also, these masquerades should not go beyond their boundaries. They should not go to another community. There should be task forces to arrest and punish offenders, including arraigning them in court.”

Mazi Onah commended Nsukka LGA authorities for enacting a law providing guidelines for Oriopka masquerade activities. Onah, however, said, “Whether the implementation will be effective is another story. The laws are made, but how are they implemented? Once president-generals and traditional rulers are held responsible, they will bring sanity to their domains. It will put them on their toes.”

It was gathered that the excesses of Oriokpa masquerades in Nsukka led to the signing of the Oriokpa Reform 2025 Bill into law by the council Chairman, Engr Jude Asogwa. Section 3(2) of the law states that “Any masquerade caught in the act of causing public nuisance risks being imprisoned upon conviction.”

Group Urges Enugu Govt To Sanction Traditional Rulers, Masquerades Over Human Rights Abuses is first published on The Whistler Newspaper