16/03/2026
When Ozoemena Nsugbe was arrested in the North, his simple move that secured his freedom is exactly what ndi Dibia in Anambra State should have done.
In April 1973, during Ozoemena performance in Maiduguri, he got highly elated and decided to utilize the opportunity to deliver an important message through his song, which centered on seeking justice and liberation for ndi Igbo from Nigeria, having just came out of Nigeria civil war. The message that didn't go well with the non Igbos at the venue.
The next day Police invaded the residence where Ozoemena and his crew were hosted and arrested them.
While climbing the dock during their court hearing, Ozoemena called upon all the deities from his paternal and maternal sides to come to his rescue, and the manner at which they answered him wasn’t by appearing physically like how the Dibias in Anambra were asked to summon their deity.
They answered him through common sense and critical thinking.
When the Judge called upon the four witnesses against Ozoemena Nsugbe, in which one of them was an Igbo man who had interpreted Ozoemena's message of Igbo liberation at the concert to the Hausa police officers.
Knowing fully well that the Igbo man (who obviously might not have grown in the village) can’t literally understand the local terms he sang with, he simply asked him the meaning of “raba” & “ife-Ogwa”. He was mute.
Ozoemena, having had an edge over him, simply gave a connotative meaning to the terms, which was entirely different from the message he used the terms to pass.
This was how he won the case. Through simple common sense.
If you claim to understand Odinani as a traditionalist but cannot secure a competent lawyer to advise and represent you, or even use basic knowledge to clearly explain your faith and respond diplomatically when the government comes knocking, then you shouldn’t expect your deities to suddenly appear with thunder to rescue you. Odinani is not a Bible story.
When a traditionalist is wrong