Arochukwu – The ancient Arochukwu Kingdom in Abia State is once again at the center of royal controversy, following the arrest of Chinelo, wife of late Eze-Ibom-Isii, Mazi Kanu Nwa Kanu Okereke, who was deposed in early 2024 and died a year later.
According to community witnesses, Chinelo was caught around 2 a.m. on Wednesday burying a calabash, knife, and a handwritten list of names at her late husband’s home. Eyewitnesses raised an alarm, and villagers apprehended her before the elders intervened to prevent mob action.
The wife of late Eze-Ibom-Isii and her mother were handed over to the elders, who immediately took both women to Inyama Avia, the ancient traditional sanctuary of Arochukwu — a spiritual tribunal where individuals accused of evil deeds are required to swear before the ancestors.
Swearing Before the Ancestors
At Inyama Avia, those accused of abominable acts must proclaim their innocence before the deities. The Aros believe that the ancestors mete out justice in due time — protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty.
According to elders, if Chinelo’s intentions were pure, she would remain unharmed; but if she indeed buried charms with malicious purpose or had a hand in her husband’s death, ancestral retribution would visit her in due course.
A Troubled Past
Community sources recall that Chinelo had earlier been sent away from her matrimonial home by her late husband’s family after she was found to be unfaithful — an act considered a grave abomination in Arochukwu custom. Under Igbo tradition, a married woman proven unfaithful must be expelled to cleanse the land of impurity.
Her husband, Mazi Kanu Nwa Kanu, the former Eze Ibom Isii, had also faced controversy before his death. He led a faction that opposed the installation of Dr Eberechukwu Oji as Eze Aro IX, insisting that Godwin Kanu Idei was the rightful heir. He even secured a court injunction attempting to stop Oji’s coronation.
However, in January 2024, the Abia State Government affirmed Dr Oji’s kingship, presenting him with a Staff of Office, while simultaneously withdrawing recognition from Mazi Kanu Nwa Kanu over allegations of misconduct.
The Return to Inyama Avia
In a symbolic twist, shortly after his dethronement, Mazi Kanu Nwa Kanu reportedly went to the same Inyama Avia sanctuary, declaring before the ancestors that he was wrongly removed and praying for justice against those he believed conspired to unseat him.
A year later, in August 2025, he died unexpectedly — an event many in Arochukwu interpreted as ancestral judgment, confirming that the gods had sided with Eze Aro Dr Eberechukwu Oji, thereby validating his divine legitimacy.
Now, with his widow, Chinelo, accused of plans to bury charms at her husband’s palace, probably with the plan to harm those who took the decision to sack her as a result of unfaithfulness.
Mysticism and Justice in Arochukwu
The Aros of Arochukwu, known for their ancient Oracle traditions, hold that the supernatural realm enforces moral balance when human courts fail. The shrine of Inyama Avia remains one of the oldest custodians of this belief, a place where truth is proven not by argument but by consequence.
Whether Chinelo survives unscathed or faces misfortune in the coming weeks may, in the eyes of the people, determine her guilt — and perhaps, close another chapter in Arochukwu’s turbulent kingship saga.
📎 Read more: EZE ARO: Abia State Govt suspends Eze Ibom Isii
🌍 Further reading: Abia Govt Ends Tussle Over Eze Aro Throne – ThisDayLive
By Jungle Journalist Media Limited