Dr. Echezona Obiagbaosogu, a former Catholic priest of 17 years, has announced his decision to leave the priesthood and fully embrace African traditional religion.

Obiagbaosogu, who now lectures on African Traditional Religion at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, said his fascination with African spirituality and rainmaking inspired his decision.

Speaking after defending his Ph.D. dissertation titled “Rainmaking and Control in Igbo African Medicine”, he highlighted the richness of Africa’s cultural and spiritual heritage, which he believes has been undermined by colonial influences.

“I have come to realize that my true calling is to serve my people through the ancient traditions of our ancestors,” Obiagbaosogu stated. He revealed that his research involved studying under a renowned native doctor, gaining a deep understanding of the traditional craft. His academic inquiry aims to recover and document Africa’s lost values and spiritual practices.

The Journey to Traditional Religion

Obiagbaosogu attributed his curiosity about nature and spirituality to his upbringing. “I partly lived with my maternal grandfather, a traditionalist, while my father, though a Christian, valued traditional materials and medicine,” he said. This dual exposure, combined with his work as a priest in the health sector, sparked his interest in the connection between health, nature, and spirituality.

His journey also included founding a school for African culture during his seminary days, where he witnessed a rainmaking demonstration that further deepened his interest in traditional practices.

Obiagbaosogu emphasized that his transition was not a rejection of God but a pursuit of a deeper and more authentic spiritual connection. He explained, “My research in rainmaking and control is rooted in finding the truth and understanding how native doctors preserve African values. I discovered that rainmaking is real and practiced by dibia (native doctors).”

He also discussed the interplay between magic, religion, and science, noting that modern science evolved from what was once considered magic. “The white man codified magical laws and called them science. Similarly, African magic—our native science—remains largely unexplored and misunderstood,” he said, advocating for its documentation and modernization.

Regarding his decision to leave the priesthood, Obiagbaosogu described it as a personal process of self-discovery and growth. While he declined to delve into the specifics, he said, “Life is a process. Things happen, and people begin to look left and right. Understanding oneself is crucial to making life decisions.”

Now married, Obiagbaosogu continues his mission to preserve African cultural heritage through research, education, and the promotion of traditional spiritual practices.

Two teenage sisters were arrested in Pakistan for killing their father by setting him on fire in revenge for rape, police said Wednesday.

The father was attacked in the Punjabi city of Gujranwala on January 1 and taken to hospital where he died on Tuesday.

“The girls said that they decided amongst themselves to find a ‘permanent solution’,” Rizwan Tariq, a senior police official in the city, told AFP.

They then took petrol from a motorcycle and set their father on fire as he slept, he added.

The pair, who are step-sisters, said their father had been raping the eldest girl for a year, and had twice attempted to rape the younger girl.

Their mothers — who are both married to the man — knew about the abuse but did not know of the revenge plan.

AFP has not named the man in order to protect the identities of the girls, one of whom is from a previous marriage.

One of the wives has also been arrested while the second is being questioned.

“We expect to present them before the court in a few days, as soon as we finish the investigation,” Tariq added.

The Benue Volunteer Security Guard has arrested an alleged bandits’ informant in Ohimini Local Government Area of the state.

The suspect, who was arrested on Tuesday, is suspected to be one of the errand boys linked to kidnappers operating in the Ankpechi-Egwanokwu axis of the area.

His arrest came after two weeks of intensive surveillance and tracking by the Volunteer Security Guard in Ohimini LGA.

The suspect (name withheld), who claimed to be an indigene of Edumoga in Okpokwu Local Government Area, is currently in custody and has provided useful information during interrogation.

The commandant of the Volunteer Security Guard, Owoicho Odeh, who confirmed the arrest, commended the relentless efforts of his team in addressing the security challenges facing Ohimini residents.

He assured the public that strategic measures are being deployed to dismantle the kidnapping syndicate and restore peace and safety to the area.