Tension is brewing in the Okon Aku community of Ohafia Local Government Area, Abia State, following the decision to ban members of the Okon Aku Traditional Herbs and Roots Practitioners, popularly called Dibia Okon-Aku, from holding their annual Iri-Ji (New Yam) festival slated for Saturday, September 20.
The herbalists, through their lawyer, N.B. Kalu, Esq., have described the move as “unlawful and unconstitutional,” vowing to resist what they see as an attempt to trample on their rights. In a petition addressed to the community’s traditional ruler, HRH Eze Ndukwe Iko, and copied to Governor Alex Otti and security agencies, they demanded the immediate reversal of the ban.
According to them, the decision violates their constitutional rights to freedom of worship and association as enshrined in Sections 38 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). They linked the controversy to the exclusion of one of their members, Chief Uche Ikenga, from the celebration, and alleged that their refusal to excommunicate him unjustly prompted the blanket ban.
The group further claimed that attempts had earlier been made to frustrate their first Iri-Ji outing on September 16, 2025, including threats of arrest. They also noted that their association is legally recognized by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), stressing that harassment of their members undermines Nigeria’s secular principles.
“Such intimidation and harassment violate Nigeria’s status as a secular state where no group is empowered to impose religious or cultural beliefs on others,” the petition partly read.
Calling for urgent intervention, the herbalists urged the Abia State Government and security agencies to investigate the legality of the ban, ensure adequate security at the festival, and prevent unrest. While pledging a peaceful celebration, they warned that continued harassment could push them to seek redress in court.
But defending the community’s decision, HRH Eze Ndukwe Iko insisted the ban was necessary for security reasons. He accused the practitioners of imposing a 30-day curfew on the community—an action he described as oppressive and a direct infringement on the rights of others.
“The ban was because of a security challenge. The native doctors placed a curfew in the community for 30 days, which infringes on the rights of others. The council of Ezieogos, made up of 23 compounds, met and resolved to stop the festival to avoid possible clashes, especially between Christians and native doctors,” the monarch explained.
He also recalled similar clashes during last year’s festival, which, according to him, nearly turned fatal.
“We told them not to destabilize the community. They are under the community, not the other way round. Whatever they want to do should be done in their private homes, not in public,” he insisted.
