Eddy Nawgu (born Edward Onyebuchi Okeke) was an alleged dreaded Nigerian sorcerer, occultist
and as described by the Nigerian media; a ''false prophet'' who initially proclaimed himself to be a prophet of the biblical Abrahamic God.
He bore several sobriquets throughout his life time but was predominantly known in the mid-1990s as ''Eddy Nawgu'' alternatively spelt also as ''Eddie Nawgu'' amongst the
igbo
Igbo may refer to:
* Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria
* Igbo language, their language
* anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria
See also
* Ibo (disambiguation)
* Igbo mythology
* Igbo music
* Igbo art
*
* Igbo-Ukwu, a ...
speaking people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His other notable sobriquet which was ''Eddy na Nawgu'' which when translated to the English language means ''Eddy in Nawgu'' came about because he was from the Nawgu community, a town situated in the
Dunukofia
Dunukofia is a Local Government Area in Anambra State, South-East Nigeria. Towns that make up the local government are Ukpo, the headquarters; Ifitedunu, Dunukofia Umunnachi, Umudioka, Ukwulu and Nawgu. It shares boundaries with Awka North, Idem ...
LGA of
Anambra State
Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State ...
, Nigeria.
Early life
He was born in Anambra State which is located in the eastern region of Nigeria, a geographical location and settlement inhabited predominantly by the
Igbo
Igbo may refer to:
* Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria
* Igbo language, their language
* anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria
See also
* Ibo (disambiguation)
* Igbo mythology
* Igbo music
* Igbo art
*
* Igbo-Ukwu, a ...
speaking people of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
Ministry
At the young age of 29,
he formed an organization named the 'Anioma Healing Centre' The physical location of the organization was at his compound in his community at Nawgu, Anambra State.
Recognition
During the mid-1990s in
Onitsha
Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. ...
, Anambra State, Eddy Nawgu had become a notable religious leader.
Controversy
In the year 1999/2000, Nawgu, had become a person of interest in numerous crimes committed not only in the community, but across Anambra state as a whole and had begun to attract the attention of the
Bakassi Boys
The Bakassi Boys are a group of Nigerian youth vigilantes in the south-eastern region of Nigeria. Activities of the vigilante group includes fighting against robberies, ritual killings, kidnapping, as can be observed in the case of the charismat ...
; a
vigilante
Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority.
A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...
security group which was set-up and spearheaded under the tenure of
Chinwoke Mbadinuju
Chinwoke Mbadinuju (born 14 June 1945) was Governor of Anambra State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2003, elected on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform.
Early life and education
Chinwoke Mbadinuju was born on 14 June 1945. H ...
, former governor of Anambra state.
The Bakassi Boys allegedly weren't like any conventional vigilante group as they supposedly harnessed
metaphysical
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...
powers otherwise referred to as Juju in Nigeria
which they allegedly used to aid them in tackling nefarious persons.
Nawgu had been accused of kidnapping, aiding & abetting infamous criminals, partaking in rituals involving use of human body parts, i.e. (the human skull) illegal possession of firearms and
human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of dead ancestors or as a retainer sacrifice, wherein ...
.
Sorcery
The Bakassi Boys who had been credited for being able to apprehend defaulters of the law with minimal effort due to their supposed ''metaphysical abilities'' had come to meet their match when they failed 13 times
in their attempt to capture Nawgu due to the fact that he allegedly could defy the rules of conventional physics and had the ability to
teleport whenever he was confronted by the vigilante group. According to the Nigerian media it took the effort of the leader of the vigilante group named ''Ngwuro''
to allegedly strip Nawgu of his ability to teleport which finally led to his capture.
Nawgu's alias was "''
Alusi N'eje Uka"'' this literary when translated to the English language means "''The Deity Who Goes To Church"''.
Death
Nawgu, when apprehended on the 14th trial by the vigilante group, was taken to their base of operation for further questioning and interrogation. His release to the
Nigerian police
The Nigeria Police Force is the principal law enforcement and the lead security agency in Nigeria. Designated by the 1999 constitution as the national police of Nigeria with exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country, as at 2016 it has a s ...
was vehemently opposed as the Bakassi boys argued the police were very much corrupt and could easily be influenced.
High-profile government workers and officials allegedly interceded for the release of Eddy Nawgu as reported by the head of the vigilante group, Mr. Ngwuro; however, the names of the political figures and government officials interceding for his release were never published.
He was eventually beheaded and had other parts of his body cut in little pieces by the Bakassi Boys after which all the parts were gathered together & set ablaze at the Ochanja Market in Anambra state, Nigeria.
Legacy
In the year he died, all calendars printed in the south-eastern part of Nigeria all bore graphical depictions of his crimes up until his arrest and execution.
In media
* The Nigerian movie titled ''Onye Amuma'' was dedicated to Eddy Nawgu, it was a depiction of the rise and fall of Eddy Nawgu. which featured
Nkem Owoh
Nkem Owoh (born 7 February 1958) is a Nigerian actor and comedian. In 2008, he won the African Movie Academy Award for "Best Actor in a Leading Role" for his role in the Nigerian film, "''Stronger than Pain"''.
Early life
Nkem Owoh was born in E ...
playing the role of a false prophet.
* A Nigerian movie produced immediately after the death of Eddy Nawgu by
Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen
Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen (born 20 June 1971) is a Nigerian film director and film producer.
Career
Imasuen has worked in the film industry since 1995 mainly as a film director and producer. He currently lives in Lagos.
His films feature unexplo ...
in the year 2000 titled ''
Issakaba'', was a movie dedicated to Eddy Nawgu. It had four parts in which the very first part of the movie showed the formation of the vigilante group & also the tremendous effort put into the capturing of Eddy Nawgu, in which the Nigerian actor;
Zulu Adigwe
Zulu Adigwe is a Nigerian actor and singer, best known for paternal roles in Nollywood movies. He first achieved fame as Mr. B in the sitcom '' Basi and Company'', and most recently featured in the 2019 blockbuster '' Living in Bondage: Breaking ...
played the role of a false prophet.
* In a Nigerian movie titled ''The Last Prophet'' which featured the Nigerian actor
Zulu Adigwe
Zulu Adigwe is a Nigerian actor and singer, best known for paternal roles in Nollywood movies. He first achieved fame as Mr. B in the sitcom '' Basi and Company'', and most recently featured in the 2019 blockbuster '' Living in Bondage: Breaking ...
playing the role of a false prophet was a movie dedicated to Eddy Nawgu.
Further reading
* ''Harnischfeger, Johannes (2006). "State Decline and the Return of Occult Powers: The Case of Prophet Eddy in Nigeria"''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nawgu, Eddy
1957 births
2000 deaths
People from Anambra State
Nigerian magicians
Igbo people