A teacher, Chiadiakobi Ezeibekwe who married his 17-year-old sister,
Chibuzor has asked for forgiveness after the entire family of Lewis
Ezeibekwe, on Saturday, underwent a spiritual cleansing conducted by the
Parish Priest of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Ekwulobia, Rev. Fr.
Ignatius Onwuatuegwu.
The Ezeibekwes from Agba community in
Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State also cancelled
the controversial marriage.
According to Punch, the priest, who read from 1 Peter 24:2 of the Bible, warned against incest.
He
said, “This issue does not concern only the family of Lewis, it
concerns the entire Ekwulobia. We are in a world that has disintegrated.
This cleansing is important for all of us and the entire country.
“We
are here to make reparation for the sin that is already rampant in our
society. I am particularly touched by this boy, Chiadi. When I came to
Ekwulobia, I met him as a boy yearning for the things of God. He was the
leader of the block rosary group but here we are today. When I heard
the story, I was taken aback. Only God knows what happened.”
Before
the church service commenced, eight members of the Ezeibekwe family
knelt down before the traditional ruler, traditional prime minister and
elders of the community and apologised to the entire Agba Ekwulobia
community.
Chiadikaobi also asked for forgiveness from the community for marrying his sister.
He
said, “What we did was wrong and an abomination to our community. I
feel pained in my heart. I did not do it because I was hungry for a
woman or attracted to my sister.
“I apologise to everyone. I am very sorry for bringing all of you out here under the sun. Please forgive us.”
Also, Chibuzor said, “I ask for forgiveness.”
After
the cleansing rites, seven girls said to be virgins, clad in white
dresses, used seven palm frond branches to sweep the Ezeibekwe compound.
