A middle-aged man and secondary school leaver, Victor E. O., has escaped to an unknown destination after a series of pressure from members of a community cult to assume responsibility as a priest to worship the ancestral deity left behind by his grandfather.
The boy, from Issele-Azagba, Aniocha North Local Government Area, Delta State, who was reportedly chosen through spiritual divination, declined the offer to serve the deity due to his Christian religious belief, claiming that the pressure was a violation of his fundamental religious rights.
Family sources revealed that the refusal caused serious tension in the community as the youths and worshippers of the local deity insisted that he must assume the responsibility and offer the necessary weekly sacrifices as demanded by the idol because he was traditionally expected to succeed his grandfather.
While the disagreement continued, Victor escaped into the bush and later to a church, where he stayed for weeks before returning home with the belief that the tension had reduced and another person had been selected in his place as a replacement. However, upon his return, the deity worshippers and cultists pounced on him, harassed and assaulted him, after they strongly opposed any replacement, but he managed to run away before they could carry him to the shrine.
It was learnt that he went to the police to lodge a report but was advised to go back and follow the tradition of his ancestors, as the matter was a customary issue. Because he had nowhere to run to, he went back to the bush and has not been seen since February 2026.
Even in his absence, family members and the deity worshippers have vowed to locate and force him to serve the idol, or they will sacrifice his blood as required by the deity.
A community leader, Chief Onyeka Ogana, when contacted by journalists, said that the people were angry because Victor was aware of the implications of rejecting such a divine calling, which was death, adding that the deity worshippers had instructed that anyone who knew his whereabouts should contact them.
