Benin chiefs resort to traditional rites to ‘ward off evil’ during Edo election

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, has directed all traditional chiefs and leaders in Benin Kingdom to perform the traditional “Bisusu” ceremony to ward off evil ahead of the Edo governorship election.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the ceremony is to ensure a peaceful and hitch-free governorship election in the state.

The Oba’s directive is contained in a statement by Stanley Obamwonyi, the Esere of Benin, on Wednesday, in Benin.

The ceremony, which involves waving away calamity, is to be performed with traditional items and is to be carried out immediately.

According to Mr Obamwonyi, the Oba’s directive aims to ensure that the 21 September election in the state is free from violence and other forms of electoral malpractice.

The Esere of Benin said, “The ‘Bisusu’ ceremony is a traditional ritual performed by the Benin people to ward off evil and calamity from their land.

“By directing the chiefs to perform this ceremony, the Oba is invoking traditional powers to ensure a peaceful and orderly election.”

He said the performance of the “Bisusu” ceremony would involve all chiefs, Enigie, Ikao, Edionwere, and Igie Ohen of various deities in the Benin Kingdom.

He said with the directive, traditional leaders in the Benin Kingdom were expected to take immediate action to perform the ceremony and use their influence to ensure a peaceful election.

Dangerous trend of violence

There has been tension and pre-election violence in Edo since the beginning of the year.

On 18 July, a police inspector was killed during an attack on the APC governorship candidate, Monday Okpebholo. Gunmen fired at Mr Okpebholo’s convoy while he was leaving the Benin Airport shortly after he and others arrived from Abuja.

Mr Okpebholo was in the company of the reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo, Philips Shaibu.

“Since April 2024, 19 major incidents of pre-election violence have been recorded by Situation Room partner, Kimpact Development Initiative, which is tracking election-related violence ahead of the polls. In many of these incidents, which include shootings and assaults, victims sustained varying degrees of injuries,” the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room said on 19 July while expressing concern about the pre-election violence in Edo.

The group said the attack on Mr Okpebholo’s convoy and the killing of the police inspector was the height of the pre-election violence in the state.

“Situation Room is worried that if this dangerous trend is allowed to fester, it will have grave consequences for the 21 September Governorship election. We, therefore, call on security agencies to fish out perpetrators of violence and prosecute them accordingly,” the group added.

The police in Edo, on Tuesday, said they have arrested the chairperson of Esan West Local Government Area of the state, Collins Aigbogun, over alleged political violence in the area.

Nemi Edwin-Iwo, the commissioner of police in Edo, said the Force Criminal Investigation Department had moved the council chairperson to Abuja over the matter.

“What happened was that he brutalised somebody in the course of an altercation between himself and other party members.

“He was invited, and the DPO in the area brought him to the State CID, where it was discovered that earlier, before now, he had other charges against him,” the police commissioner said.

The police said they are mopping-up illegal arms in Edo before the election.