Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Igbo-Etiti Local Government Council of Enugu Stare has prohibited the popular Odo masquerade in the area from carrying any form of weapons, including cane.
The council also said it would deal deal ruthlessly with any Odo masquerade that violates the order.
The council also warned the masquerades to stop attacking or flogging women, girls, and perceived enemies.
The council chairman, Dr. Eric Odo, handed down the warning on Monday during the Monthly Holy Mass at the Council’s Headquarters in Ogbede.
Dr. Odo emphasised that the current administration had established measures to curb the violent actions of masquerades, who have been causing harm to innocent citizens in the area.
He said this was part of efforts to fight gender-based violence which requires the collective effort of everyone.
Earlier, the priest in charge of St. Agnes Parish, Rev. Fr. Valentine Mbah, said the masquerades are doing the unthinkable in the area under the guise of culture.
Fr. Mbah regretted that the actions of these masquerades do not reflect any culture, stressing that they not only harass innocent citizens but are also causing nuisance in the society.
The clergy asked the state and local governments to stop the masquerades from blocking roads constructed with public funds, saying that the government alone can stop the atrocities committed by the masquerades.
While urging parents to parents to encourage their children to embrace hard work, he pleaded with the government at all levels to build and equip a skill acquisition centre to enable youths to learn relevant skills.
He pointed out that some of these violent incidents have led to untimely deaths of many, while others are battling life-threatening injuries.
While reiterating that masquerades are not banned in the LGA, the council chairman stressed emphatically that their activities must be conducted in an orderly and acceptable manner.
“The government will not sit idly by while masquerades—whether Odoh, Akatakpa, or Omabe—continue to harass our people, particularly women and girls.
“We have inaugurated a committee to address domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence, and it will take action against the harm caused by these masquerades.
“It is our responsibility as the government to protect the lives and properties of the people. As such, my government will carry out this responsibility to the letter.
“We will go to length to curtail the excesses of these masquerades, including enacting a law and also jailing any masquerade who defaults the order.
“The fight against domestic and gender-based violence requires the collective effort of everyone to enable the fight to be successful,” Odo hinted.
