Seven virgin girls, adorning white dresses, used seven palm frond branches to sweep the compound of Lewis Ezeibekwe in Agba community in Ekwulobia, Aguata local government area of Anambra State to cleanse the area of incest between two siblings.
The siblings, Chiadikobi Ezeibekwe, a 25-year-old Mathematics teacher and her 17-year-old sister and student, Chibuzor Ezeibekwe, purportedly married in February this year were cleansed.
The virgins swept the compound after the family led by their father, Ezeibekwe were on Saturday cleansed spiritually from the act which was deemed abominable by the community.
Eight members of the Ezeibekwe family knelt down before the traditional ruler, traditional prime minister and elders of the community and apologised to the entire Agba, Ekwulobia community.
Chiadikaobi said he had accepted his wrong and asked for forgiveness from the community.
He said, “What we did was wrong and an abomination in our community. I feel pained in my heart. I did not do it because I was hungry for a woman or attracted to my sister, far from it.
“I apologise to everyone. I am very sorry for bringing all of you out here under the sun. Please forgive us. We have gone through the process of annulment and the marriage has been annulled.
“I ask for forgiveness,” Chibuzo pleaded.
Conducting cleansing mass, Rev. Fr. Ignatius Onwuatuegwu, the parish priest of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Ekwulobia, of St. Joseph Catholic prayed for forgiveness upon the family.
In his sermon at the mass held in front of Ezeibekwe’s house, Rev. Fr. Onwuatuegwu said the gathering was an opportunity to emphasise the social and spiritual consequence of incest.
Onwuatuegwu said, “This issue does not concern only the family of Lewis, it concerns the entire Ekwulobia.
“We are in a world that has disintegrated. This cleansing is important for all us and the entire country.”
Preaching from 1Peter 24:2, the priest called on people to repent, saying that the sin of incest had become a frequent occurrence in many communities.
He said, “We are here to do reparation of the sin that is already rampant in our society. It is also an opportunity for us to do reparation for Ekwulobia.
“I am particularly touched by this boy, Chiadi. When I came to Ekwulobia, I met him as a boy yearning for the things of God. He was the leader of the block rosary group but here we are today. When I heard the story, I was taken aback. Only God knows what happened.”
(Nairabet)
