By Okechukwu Onuegbu
The founder, Centre for Psychic and Healing Administration (CPHA), Chief Dr Mrs Flora Ilonzo, yesterday, celebrated her 44 years anniversary of surviving death threats after successfully resolving a conflict between the traditionalists and Christians at Ukehe, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area (LGA), Enugu State.
On February 17, 1982 Ilonzo while watching the NTA Enugu 9 O'clock news at night learnt that a Catechist at Ukehe lost eight members of his family when his house was set ablaze by the worshippers of Odo deity, and out of compassion, she boarded her car and instructed the driver to head to the troubled area on a peace mission immediately.
Flora, the First female Artist in the defunct Eastern Nigeria, was the then State Artist responsible for designing emblems, printing, drawing of life objects and sculpting, among other things for the government of old Anambra State comprising today's Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi State.
"We left Enugu through the old road to 9th Mile and arrived at Ukehe at 10.30 pm. I alighted from my car and followed the villagers I saw with a local lantern heading towards the direction of where drums were beating in the bush. My intention was to approach and appeal to them to allow peace to reign," she stated.
But on discovering that she is a woman, worshippers of the deity, mostly men aged 60 and above, numbering about 100 were furious because women were not allowed to get involved in Odo masquerade but they could not strike her dead.
"I was lying prostrate there as they were discussing my presence. There is disagreement among them on whether to listen to me or not. But some of them insisted that it must be done since they were earlier told during divinations that God would send a woman to make peace in the town who shall become their mama (mother).
"They directed me to tell the Head of Missionary at St. Peter's Catholic Church Ikpogu, Rev. Fr. Ogu and some members of the church leave the town immediately or risk being killed. They complained that he was making a mockery of them; mobilizing members to violate their culture, masquerades and dance troupes," she recalled
She drove to St. Peter's as directed but the priest turned a deaf ear to her plea, saying himself and church members were ready to die as Uganda martyrs. Ilonzo left them and drove back to Enugu to report to the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Michael Ugwuaja Eneje.
The Bishop issued a letter to her and told Fr Ugwu and Fr Eze to accompany her to Ukehe that same night and they succeeded in forcing Fr Ogu and others out of the town, while she equally discussed with the odo masquerades as they were about leaving their shrine to strike.
"They asked me to repeat my visit in four days. It was on our way out of the town that I heard a booming sound which I later confirmed to be that they burnt the father's house and church. I returned in four days time and submitted the list of persons they told me to bring for further meetings. They rejected all except Chief Chukwuma Okoye.
"On the appointed date, we listened to their complaints on how the church was violating their customs and traditions since the coming of Fr Ogu. I pleaded with them for what was tenable in Onitsha, my home town since civilization. Some of them were that they should consider performing their dreadful masquerade parades at night. I also suggested the need for the construction of another road to limit the confrontation between the two groups.
"They agreed to all my suggestions. The government brought caterpillars and we decided on the direction of the road. As we progressed, it suddenly came into the heart of the shrine where properties of those said to be killed by it were deposited. We did not know what else to be done. None of the natives agreed to touch the pot of the shrine to make way for the road construction to continue. I had no choice than to find an alternative location for the pot.
"I took a disused hoe cleared grounds for the pot before taking the big pot to the new location. There was a big shout of triumph from the Christians while the natives did some rituals and told me that if I survive the next 28 days they would worship at the new site. If not, they would return to their old location not minding the road we were constructing. I felt like something was burning my hand but I cracked eggs and robbed the affected parts and they vanished," she stated.
Ilonzo's exploit was widely reported in the media attracting the attention of the international community, including Pope John Paul II who came to Nigeria because of her as well as invited her to Vatican city.
"When the Pope left on 17th February, 1982, I was attacked at a saloon by some hefty men dressed like police. One of them kicked me on the chest, and another kicked me in the mouth as I bent down. I lost three of my teeth. I held one of them and another person stabbed me on my left palm. I was taken to the Eastern Nigeria Medical Centre. From there I was taken to Lagos and travelled to Vatican city.
“One of the attackers was later arrested and confessed that they were sent by Odo worshippers to kill me so that I would not live up to 28 days. Since I survived them, they abided by our agreement and even crowned me Olinandu of Ukehe. I founded the first Secondary and Primary School at Ukehe. The Archbishop of Canterbury equally invited me and it was agreed to establish an Anglican church in the community too,” she noted.