Shrines Take Center Stage As Youths Dump Churches For Idol Worship In Umuchu Town 

KINGSLEY EBERE 

The leadership of the town union in Umuchu, Aguata Local Government area of Anambra State, seems to be helpless as shrines and idol worshipping take center stage with good number of youths dumping churches and opting for traditional worship. 

P.M.EXPRESS investigation revealed that idol worship is gaining momentum in the town on daily basis as youths felt that they have not gained much over the years while going to churches and decided to fall back to Idol worship.

Thus, people are going to different towns and states bringing different shrines, which they turned to while some are now practicing as native doctors.

The effect of the idol worship in Umuchu town has started unfolding. One of the challenges now is that the major streams in Umuchu town such as Ubo, Iyiushi,  Iyiwoku, Iyiocha, Ayomiri, Iyi Osu Umu river are polluted with sacrifices being performed by the traditional worshippers, who believe in the efficacy of such sacrifices in the streams.

Indigenes can no longer go to their streams and rivers to fetch water because of the stinking and polluted environment as many indigenes depend on boreholes for survival.

Some of the villages mostly hit with shrines and idol worship are Amanasaa,  Ibughubu, Achalla, Ugwuakwu, Umugama, Akukwa among others. And the most affected are the youths who are making claims of prosperity since they started practicing idol worship.

According to an indigene, the incredible rise of idol worship started when one of the indigenes, who made huge sums of money abroad, came back home and built a storey building to the Uchu deity at the market square, which attracted the attention of the youths.

The man claimed that he ran into trouble abroad, called on the Uchu Diety, eventually escaped from trouble and came back home with huge sums of money, which he used to build a hotel and created more awareness for idol worship in Umuchu town.

Some indigenes have expressed concern over the ugly situation in the town because of the impact on the youths, who believe they will make it in life through idol worship.

Recently, Achalla, one of the villages in Umuchu town, announced that people should desisted from going to the community streams to perform sacrifices because of the the impact on the community and the youths. The announcement attracted condemnation and resistance from the idol worshippers, who claimed that it was a breach of their fundamental human rights to freedom of worship as enshrined in the Constitution.

The argument may have informed the dilemma of the leadership of Umuchu town led by President General, Ozo Charles Ezenwabasili and various villages to enforce strict regulations on performing of sacrifices in the various streams and rivers in the town.

Membership of dominant churches namely the Catholic, Anglican, Salvation Army and others are shrinking on daily basis while idol worshippers are increasing and have now formed strong alliances to promote idol worship in Umuchu town.

Efforts to get the reaction of the President General of Umuchu town union, Ozo Charles Ezenwabasili, proved abortive as his known phone number was switched off.