THE CONCEPT OF IVU MBEMBE OR IGBA OSHI IN IGBO TRADITIONAL PENAL CODE: A POSSIBLE PREDICAMENT OF OWELLE ROCHAS OKOROCHA AND HIS FAMILY - written by KEMKA S. IBEJI

As the family shares Imo

THE CONCEPT OF IVU MBEMBE OR IGBA OSHI IN IGBO TRADITIONAL PENAL CODE: A POSSIBLE PREDICAMENT OF OWELLE ROCHAS OKOROCHA AND HIS FAMILY

The return of ivu mbembe and the predicament of Rochas Anayo Ethelbert Okorocha and family.

Ivu mbembe or Igba Oshi is the negative responsibility borne by someone who has offended morality in the traditional Igbo penal system.

In the simplest definition, ivu mbembe is the act of putting an offender to public shame and ridicule.

The contractors on site 

Those who have lived in Igbo cultural milieu would have come in contact with the experience where someone is stripped naked, adorned with palm fronts and paraded round the town till the market square. Most times you would see goat, rubbers of yam or cassava, fowl or something else tied to the person being paraded.

Ivu mbembe is usually carried out on thieves, those who sleep another man's wife, those who committed incest or some taboo and any other sacrilegious deed.

Those who have goats, fowls, yams, cassava etc tied on them are usually thieves who stole such items as tied on them. So those who are accustomed to this tradition usually do not wait for further explanation whenever they see such ritual of punishment performed by the villagers. When you see fowl tied on a man or woman, that's what he or she stole. The same thing when you see goat, yam, cassava, etc tied on someone.

Road construction by Rochas 

Of course, if you have ever been punished by ivu mbembe, there are many things you can never ever be in the society. Among few of such are deprivations like;
1. You can never be Onye isi ala anymore in your lifetime
2. You can never hold title anymore in the land or be a member of the Eze's cabinet. So you can't be either an Nze, Okenze or a Chief of the land
3. Some families will never allow you to marry their daughter no matter how rich or educated you are or eventually may become
4. Certainly you can never be an Eze
5. Etc.

Though this practice has been relegated by the modern state juridical systems thereby liberalising criminality, it still remains a part and parcel of Igbo moral police.

As the toga of immunity is about to leave the dress code of Owelle Rochas Okorocha and his family, the entire citizenry of Imo State are in strong memories of this traditional practice and they are willing to relive it especially on the outgoing emperor of Imo State.

I can hardly see what will exonerate Rochas Okorocha and his family from this parade of ignominy except an loud army of warheads from the central government. And the the federal government does such, it must be ready to follow Rochas Okorocha and his family even to toilets in the name of security. The cost in finance and embarrassment will be too much for the Federal government to bear.

The second thing that can help Rochas Okorocha and his family to escape ivu mbembe by Imo citizens is their abandonment of their several loot and going on self exile. I'm afraid that even the legitimately acquired property and belongings of Rochas Okorocha and his family will be utterly vandalized and destroyed by Ndi Imo as soon as he alights from the throne of Imo State leadership.

The type of ivu mbembe waiting for my governor, my governor will be the highest degree of it which goes with flogging along the public parade of shame.

I pity Rochas Okorocha and his family and I don't envy them and their package of loot and baggage of public opprobrium. Why I am saying this is that the youth have vowed that Rochas Okorocha and his family must dance naked at the market square.

What a way to account for your stewardship to the people! Just like an annoyed fighter, I wouldn't want to be beaten up while pleading for mercy. Ndi Imo, though Pilate washed his hands off the death of Jesus Christ, no mention of the crucifixion goes without the name of Ponthius Pilate. I will neither be Pilate nor the separator of an angry fight and so I will quietly pass without notice to all and sundry.

So I leave Ndi Imo with Rochas Okorocha and company to their fate.