Retribution across seas: Canada-based Nigerian’s ancestral home torched over refusal of forced initiation

LILU (ANAMBRA) — The long arm of tradition has stretched from a rural community in southeastern Nigeria to the distant shores of Canada, leaving behind ashes, fear and a family caught in a bitter conflict between ancestral demands and personal faith.

Kevin Anayo Nwajiobi, a 54-year-old Catholic and father of two who fled Nigeria in early 2024, is living in renewed anxiety abroad after learning that his ancestral home in Lilu village was allegedly set ablaze in retaliation for his refusal to submit to a compulsory ritual initiation as a traditional priest.

According to documents and accounts obtained by this newsmen, the crisis escalated in July 2024 when community elders from Lilu village reportedly approached Mr Nwajiobi’s younger sister after being unable to reach him directly.

The sister, who still resides at Ihite Nansa village was handed a formal message with instructions to relay it to her brother overseas.

The message, relatives said, was unequivocal.

Mr Nwajiobi was ordered to make himself physically available in the village on 31 December 2024 to undergo initiation rites connected to a local deity known as “Ogwugwu,” translated as the “Great One Eyed Serpent.”

Those who delivered the directive allegedly made it clear that his presence was mandatory and that failure to comply would attract serious consequences.

Family sources maintain that Mr Nwajiobi had previously endured mounting pressure and alleged persecution over the hereditary role through 2023 to 2024, circumstances that compelled him to relocate with his immediate family for safety.

Returning to Nigeria, they insist, was not an option.

He did not appear on the appointed date.

On 4 January 2025, barley one week after the deadline, his country home in Lilu village was reduced to rubble by fire.

Relatives allege that the building was deliberately torched in what they describe as a calculated act of retaliation for his continued refusal to submit to the ritual demands and for remaining absent from the community.

As at the time of filing this report, Mr Nwajiobi’s sister had lodged a complaint at the local police facility identified as Ihiala Police Station.

No arrest has been made, and there has been no official confirmation of suspects or progress in the investigation.

For Mr Nwajiobi, the destruction of his ancestral property represents more than the loss of bricks and mortar.

It is seen by his family as a declaration that the dispute remains active and that those pressing for his initiation are determined and capable of inflicting damage even in his absence.