The Oba of Benin Palace in Benin City yesterday placed curses on individuals and collaborators plotting to tarnish the Benin monarchy and those peddling false narratives about Benin customs and tradition on social media.
Palace chiefs comprising traditional physicians, priests, priestesses and Ayelala devotees, performed the solemn ritual at the main entrance gate of the Benin Palace in Benin City.
Libations were poured on ancient spiritual traditional weapons, while traditional physicians blew occipital horns, summoned ancestral spirits to bear witness against those seeking to destabilise the kingdom.
The curse targets conspiracy theorists spreading false information, creating memes or misusing palace insignia and individuals that disrespect the Benin monarchy.
They condemned the unauthorised use of ceremonial swords, otherwise called ‘Ada and Eben’, during social events, including burials and birthday celebrations.
They also condemned unauthorised use of sacred Benin royal paraphernalia, including Benin royal costumes by Benin chiefs and Ikele’ beads, ‘Okuku hairstyle’ reserved for specific members of the Benin royal family.
Merchants of violence in some villages and communities in Edo State and their cohorts both at home and diaspora were also not spared during the exercise.
