Nigeria: The consequences of refusing to perform sacrifices within the context of the Urhobo tribe

The following information is extracted from the Africans-art Website which states that the Urhobo comprise approximately three million people and live

in urban centers such as Sapele, Warri and Ughelli or are grouped into 22 autonomous village groups or "polities." Each polity contains numerous settlements, ranging in size from 500 to 3,000 people, that share a common ancestor, or founder (n.d).

Tanure Ojaide, a prominent Urhobo poet and writer (UHS n.d.), in an article on Urhobo dance songs, available on the Urhobo Historical Society's Website, writes that

the Urhobo are a very spiritual people. They believe that ailments are due to natural transgressions. Thus when somebody is sick, they traditionally seek a diviner to tell what has led to the condition. Usually sacrifices and herbal prescriptions are recommended (Ojaide 2 Jan. 2001).

According to M.Y. Nabofa and Ben O. Elugbe, joint authors of a paper on the Urhobo system of divination, the practice of epha divination is an "essential" aspect of Urhobo religious life (June 1981). Often the epha priest recommends a sacrifice to one of the divinities of the land as remedy to whatever problem the client has come about for help (ibid.). The authors state that

the Urboho believe that the physical world is very highly influenced by the supernatural, which embraces evil and good forces. Happiness or well being which they refer to as ufuoma can only be guaranteed by seeking out what the unknown holds, exorcising the forces of evil and aligning one's life, as it were. Since the Urhobo believe that the affairs of man are controlled by spiritual beings, divination among them is first and foremost concerned with finding out the plans of these beings for man. ...However, divination and sacrifice almost invariably go together, since whether in gratitude (for good plans revealed or for an existing state of happiness), or in prayer (to have evil plans or revelations or situations reversed), the Urhobo must sacrifice to the power of the divine world. This fact has led some observers to charge that diviners always insist on sacrifice only as a selfish means of feeding themselves. Nevertheless the people still believe that divination can reveal the fault and psychologically prepare the sufferer's mind for the solution, while sacrifice administers, so to say, the medicine which effects the cure. Unless sacrificial rites are performed the devotee will not have the peace of mind, which is mostly required for a permanent cure (ibid.).

Nabofa and Elugbe point out that not "every sacrifice" is prescribed by the epha priest, and "not all consultations of the epha priest necessitate subsequent sacrifice"; however,

it is a common belief among the Urhobo that most instances of sacrifices result from divination and in several instances of divination one form of sacrificial rites or the other is prescribed. Whatever rituals that are prescribed, the ultimate aim is to establish and maintain ufuoma (ibid.).

According to an article published in the Vanguard of 9 March 2003, practitioners of African traditional religion in Nigeria, including the Urhobo, often go to the river Ethiope, in Urhobo land, to offer sacrifes to the river goddess who, they believe, has the power to protect them from death.

Some [people] who are very sick, who are at the point of death, want to exchange their death with somebody else's. So, they go to the river to offer sacrifices to seek protection, recovery from their ailment So, whenever these sacrifices are offered to the water goddess, the goddess takes some other human beings in exchange for the worshippers who were supposed to die. That really has no scientific proof but the people believe strongly in this kind of theory. That is why every year when you go between January, February and March, you will see people coming from different parts of Urhobo land to offer sacrifices at the bridge end of the river at Oruka (Vanguard 9 Mar. 2003).

Specific information on refusing to perform a sacrifice could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Africans-art.com. n.d. "Urhobo – Tradition." [Accessed 29 July 2003]

Nabofa, M.Y. and Ben O. Elugbe. June 1981. "An Urhobo System of Divination and Its Esoteric Language." [Accessed 10 July 2003]

Ojaide, Tanure. 2 June 2001. "Poetry, Performance, and Art: Udje Dance Songs of Urhobo People." [29 July 2003]

Urhobo Historical Society (UHS). n.d. "The Many Faces of Art in Urhobo Society. By Tanure, Ojaide and Perkins Foss." [Accessed 30 July 2003]

Vanguard [Lagos]. Sam Umukoro. 9 March2003. "A River That Kills Only Strangers." [Accessed 29 July 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential
Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series
Amnesty International
Country Reports 2000-2002
IRB Databases

Internet sites, including:

Allafrica.com
BBC Africa
Daily Champion
New Nigerian
Newswatch Nigeria
Nigeria Daily

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