The Tragic Death of Chikwado: A Cautionary Tale Against Superstition
By Matthew Eloyi
Chikwado Eze’s tragic and senseless death reads like a horror story borne out of misplaced beliefs and dangerous superstitions. His name, which means “fortified by God,” was meant to symbolize strength, yet his untimely demise is a cautionary tale for anyone still trapped in the grip of irrationality. Chikwado, like many other hopeful youths, was on the cusp of what he believed to be a better life. He had secured a visa to travel overseas—a dream many aspire to. But instead of boarding a plane and starting a new life, Chikwado’s journey led him into an early grave, buried alive in a ritual gone horribly wrong.
Chikwado’s story is sadly familiar. In search of protection and prosperity, his father—consumed by superstition—took him to a native doctor. The prescription? A bizarre, dangerous ritual that involved burying his son alive for 90 minutes, a move believed to grant him protection from harm, shield him from immigration authorities, and guarantee success abroad. For Mr. Eze, this was not madness but faith—a faith rooted in age-old superstitions passed down through generations. Testimonies of others who had supposedly prospered after similar rituals fueled his belief.
However, what followed was the predictable consequence of choosing superstition over science. After 90 minutes underground, Chikwado was pulled from the shallow grave, unconscious. The native doctor, confident in his mystical powers, assured Mr. Eze that the gods would revive his son. But as minutes ticked by and Chikwado remained lifeless, the brutal truth began to settle in: no incantations or animal blood could undo the laws of biology. The gods, as it turned out, were no match for respiratory failure.
Chikwado’s death was preventable. It wasn’t fate or a curse; it was the result of dangerous ignorance. His father’s faith in the supernatural cost him his son. This wasn’t Nigeria failing Chikwado—it was superstition and a community’s continued belief in age-old practices that fly in the face of reason and science.
The sad reality is that many people, even today, are Mr. Eze in some form. They may not take their children to native doctors, but they substitute one form of superstition for another. It could be a prophet instead of a witch doctor, or a belief in an unproven miracle over proven medical advice. How many people have fasted for days despite being warned by doctors about health conditions like ulcers? How many have consumed concoctions with unknown ingredients, trusting in the supernatural over scientific logic? In many ways, these are modern forms of the same superstition that claimed Chikwado’s life.
What happened to Chikwado is not just a story of a misguided father and a failed ritual. It is a wake-up call to a society that continues to place faith in superstition over science. It’s a reminder that as long as we allow irrational beliefs to govern our actions, tragedies like this will continue to happen.
We should honour Chikwado’s memory by rejecting superstition in all its forms, whether it comes from a native doctor or a religious figure. Science, logic, and reason are the only real fortifications we need as we navigate life. Let Chikwado’s death serve as a powerful warning to all of us: when superstition replaces reason, the price is often a foolish and avoidable death.
