Man flees ancestral home to escape chief priest role

Ijeoma Innocent Chimezie, born on October 21st, 1984, has abandoned his ancestral home to avoid inheriting the revered yet treacherous position of chief priest in Oguta, Imo State.

Born into a family deeply rooted in the village’s traditions, the man was destined to follow in his father, Mr Ijeoma Chike’s footsteps as the community’s spiritual leader.

However, his mother, a devout Christian, was vehemently opposed to the practices associated with the role, including alleged blood sacrifices and occult rituals.

Driven by her concerns, she raised her son as a Christian, shielding him from the village’s traditions.

At the tender age of ten, she made the difficult decision to remove him from the environment entirely, relocating the family to Lagos.

Despite completing his primary education, the man’s path was disrupted once again when he was forced to abandon his Polytechnic education at Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH)

Fearful of being discovered and pressured into assuming the chieftaincy on September, 15, 2012, he embarked on a perilous journey, taking him from Nigeria to Libya, where he was kidnapped and brutally beaten.

After being released, he travelled to Niger and eventually Italy, where he now resides in a refugee camp.

His escape was fraught with danger, including a harrowing kidnapping ordeal in Libya.