A tragic incident unfolded in the Obiagu area of Enugu State on Thursday, June 5, when a 23-year-old man, Chiemelie Nnaji, drowned during a spiritual cleansing ritual at a local river.
Chiemelie, who was well known in the community for his street-side pork and chicken roasting business in front of a popular motel, reportedly suffered from epilepsy.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred at the Mmiri Ani river, a stream located within the state capital. Chiemelie had been taken there by his mother, widely referred to in the community as Ezenwanyi, a local spiritualist.
She had reportedly gone to the river with her son and a middle-aged female client to conduct a ritual aimed at cleansing Chiemelie spiritually, possibly to cure his epileptic condition and prepare him to take over her spiritual practice.
It was gathered that during the ritual, which involved the use of a native fowl and incantations by the riverbank, Chiemelie experienced an epileptic seizure and collapsed into the water, which was reportedly chest-deep. Witnesses say he was overwhelmed and unable to stay afloat, eventually sinking below the surface.
As panic set in, the female client accompanying them is said to have raised the alarm, prompting residents nearby to rush to the scene. They managed to pull Chiemelie out of the water. At the time, he was still breathing, raising hopes that he might survive the ordeal.
“We met Ezenwanyi deep in her chants while the other woman was crying helplessly,” said an eyewitness. “We were able to bring the boy out of the river and rushed him to a nearby hospital. Sadly, the first two hospitals rejected him. It wasn’t until we reached a third hospital that he was finally admitted—but by then, he was pronounced dead.”
The delay in receiving urgent medical care is believed to have contributed to his death. His tragic passing has left the community in shock, with many questioning the circumstances surrounding the failed exorcism and the role of his mother in the events that led to his death.
In the wake of the incident, the Enugu State Police Command reportedly arrested Ezenwanyi. Authorities are said to be investigating the circumstances of the spiritual exercise and Chiemelie’s eventual death. Charges relating to criminal negligence or manslaughter could follow, depending on the outcome of the investigation.
Community members remain divided, with some blaming the spiritualist for endangering her son’s life, while others believe the tragedy was a combination of medical vulnerability and unfortunate timing.
As investigations continue, the death of Chiemelie Nnaji serves as a grim reminder of the dangers associated with unregulated spiritual practices, especially when performed on individuals with known medical conditions.