July 14, 2018 was a day of wild jubilation for indigenes of Irete autonomous community, Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, when the amiable king of Irete, His Royal Highness, Eze E.C. Ekwelibe (Agubiam 1, of Irete Community) declared the Ohu, Ume, Diala and ‘Osu’ Caste Systems abolished.


Eighteen villages had since joined forces to advocate for the abolishment of the the Osu caste system; many thanks to CY Amako (Irete 1), Lolo Uche Amako, Chief Chris Anukam (Omeudo Irete) Phillian Chima Duru, Smart Monye, Duru Sunny George, who pretty much coordinated event logistics, and the indefatigable Rev. Dr. AJV Obinna, who has become a field marshal in the anti-osu movement.
His Royal Highness, Eze E.C. Ekwelibe (Agubiam 1, of Irete Community) had an unforgettable encounter with an ‘Osu’ elder in 2009, which left in him a piercingly hunting and remorseful impression. That impression would later elicit the anti-osu revolution that culminated into the historic abolition of this obnoxious practice on July 14, 2018.
Recounting his experience to Vanguard, he said “The encounter was at a village gathering. After drinking palm wine, the eldest man in the village at the time, who was regarded as ‘Osu’ wanted to pour out the remnant of that wine on the ground for libation, as the custom requires, but I intervened and stopped him, simply because he was regarded as ‘Osu’.
He then politely asked me, “Ethel, why are you stopping me”? And I arrogantly retorted, “Why do you want to do this? Do you not realize that Sunday is here?”
“By age and by right, Sunday was much younger and shouldn’t be doing the libation. But because the eldest man was regarded as ‘Osu’, I stopped him and made Sunday pour the libation. Rather than protest it, the elderly ‘Osu’ man simply said, “Well, let it be to you people, and you’re Christians”.
Now, the humility with which he surrendered and gave up the function to Sunday shook me to my bones. His words, “Let it be to you people, and you’re Christians”, began to hurt and hunt my conscience endlessly. It never stopped. So when I became the king on December 28, 2013, I made up my mind to deal with this problem. Today, the rest is history. The journey that got us here has been succinctly captured in a tell-all book titled The Osu Caste System: The Myths, Realities & Its Abolition.”
To demonstrate their seriousness, a chieftaincy title that until July 14, 2018 could not have been given to a so-called ‘Osu’ person, was conferred on an illustrious Irete son and medical practitioner, Isaac Ugorji, who was once regarded as ‘Osu’. Isaac, who flew in from the United States of America to witness history in his home town, was almost in tears.
Another Abuja based politician and highly revered elder in Irete, C.Y. Amako a.k.a Irete 1, openly announced that he has two beautiful daughters ready to graduate from the University and that he will never ask questions about their suitors, regarding caste identities as ‘Osu’ no longer exists in his vocabulary. He boasted that his daughters were in full agreement!
Popular Nollywood actor, Joseph Okechukwu, who had been at the forefront of the campaign to summarily abolish the Caste Systems in all Igbo Speaking areas of Nigeria and beyond, was live at the epochal event.
According to the Nollywood star, “It was arguably the best day of my life, I couldn’t hold my joy. I had been following the development and praying that nothing would stop July 14th from coming to pass, and nothing did, it happened. The journey to the freedom of the Igbo nation in Nigeria begins.
Few months ago it was Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area, Enugu State, today it’s Irete in Owerri West, Imo State. We want it abolished everywhere in our land. In Nigeria, Igbos are like people in a giant prison. And this nonsense is the reason for our imprisonment. God told me that and I made a video about it. We’re breaking loose!”
The obviously elated Nollywood star hinted that a bigger event billed for December is in the offing. He promised that the December event to abolish the Osu Caste System in Igbo land will be much bigger and all encompassing, and will see prominent Igbo sons and daughters, home and abroad grace the occasion.
African-Americans or foreign nationals who identify as Igbo by ancestry will also be invited to the big event in which forgiveness for slavery and casting shall be sort from God by elders of the Igbo nation in Nigeria.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/07/jubilation-celebration-as-osu-caste-system-abolished-in-irete-owerri-west-lga/

I hope someone from that end can explain the meaning to us.

This obnoxious cultural relic has been abolished in most parts of Igboland.

It is just that I will take time to go entirely as is common with cultural practices entrenched in people's psyche for several centuries.

People that are segregating themselves with Osu cast system yet they want Biafra. God knows biafra will not survive 6 months before they fight another civil war. We don't need such unstable country near our borders

What a joke! It might be abolished but trust Igbo people to still subconsciously practice it. The Indians abolished their own caste system and infact made it illegal many years ago but till today, people are still treated according to the caste system they belong to. Let a “free born” first try and get married to a person that is an osu, you’d see how the free born’s whole family will kick against it. Abolished my yansh

hmm what does this mean please?

One of the disadvantages of Christianity at the time. The people regarded as osu are just people who devoted themselves and family and future families to the worship of a fetish deity.... mostly due to safety reasons or hunger.

Due to influx of Christianity at the time, those people were therefore declared outcasts. They and their descendants. It's all shades of wrong. Whatever one does in a bid to protect himself, he should not be judged for it. During the civil war, a whole community dedicated themselves to a deity when their community fell to Nigerian soldiers. They shouldn't be judged for it, but they are. Religion is not hypocritical but it turns on the hypocrisy in us.

Christianity didn't declare them as outcasts... it was the hypocrisy in humans that did.

As a matter of fact, most Nigerian Christians will want to distance themselves from people whose families are said to have dedicated themselves to one deity or the other.

Ejimagift:
People that are segregating themselves with Osu cast system yet they want Biafra. God knows biafra will not survive 6 months before they fight another civil war. We don't need such unstable country near our borders

what you dont know you ask question?

the outcast are the once who decided the be so long time ago

while the ohus are the once made by slavery to be so.

It has been already abolished in most parts of Igboland.

It is only some idiotic foools here on nairaland from the gbegiri land that are calling Igbos here Osu.

May anyone who does this here in nairaland not see December

Life is spiritual and if one think that by announcement, a 500years of idol worship can just be abolished like that is joking. OSU was created in the realm of the spirit and it can also be totally abolished by the realm of the spirit which must have a superior power. Since the Igbo's believe so much on Christianity, OSU can only be abolished if the whole people concerned will come together and engage Jesus which they believe in and only Him will direct and instruct them on how to destroy such curses.
Announcement doesn't stop the curses from being in force. A family can also engage Jesus to separate themselves and not by all this so called "as soon as u give ur life to Jesus, every curse in ur life is cancelled" preachings.

Churches dont even have revelations yet on how to abolish this things and that's why villages are trying to help themselves by announcements.

My opinion though

Such things can be "abolished" by mouth.
But everybody still know who be osu.

When a traditional leader takes an osu
for a wife, then we shall know it is finally over..

Story... try to marry and see if it has really been abolished

Tradition must be uphold coz our ancestors are not bastards.....

meanwhile amendments must be made in union to adapt to th changing society.

Abolishing an Osu caste system is a serious.....

Even a man denied to give her daughter in marriage to an Anglican priest coz the priest is an Osu.....

The abolition of such should start with the king.....let the king marry an Osu and allow an Osu into his cabinet....then the masses can follow also. .....

Ejimagift:
People that are segregating themselves with Osu cast system yet they want Biafra. God knows biafra will not survive 6 months before they fight another civil war. We don't need such unstable country near our borders

Yet you NEED them within your borders.

phase1:
When will yorobass abolish skull mining and the royal cannibalism they practice when their Obas die?

How can you tell a "set of people" to abolish what is part of their culture?

Princeofnigeria:
Ibo people and their archaic culture.

I detest those people way of life

The people you detest want to go but you're fighting and dying to keep them with you.

KillaBeauty:
What a joke! It might be abolished but trust Igbo people to still subconsciously practice it. The Indians abolished their own caste system and infact made it illegal many years ago but till today, people are still treated according to the caste system they belong to. Let a “free born” first try and get married to a person that is an osu, you’d see how the free born’s whole family will kick against it. Abolished my yansh

Are you from IMO state? because na Una and ebonyi people carry am for head pass

FisifunKododada:
backward people

Cc Immhotep lzaa lzaa b'stds lzaa lzaa lzaa

Princeofnigeria:
Ibo people and their archaic culture.

I detest those people way of life

The Oro festival in most parts of Lagos and parts Yorubaland is a very terrible cultural practice.

You guys should use your heads for once other than engaging in a lazy man's hobby....tribalism and low IQ-induced stereotypes...

maestroferddi:
This obnoxious cultural relic has been abolished in most parts of Igboland.

It is just that I will take time to go entirely as is common with cultural practices entrenched in people's psyche for several centuries.

Pls I heard that marrying an OSU lady causes unwanted misfortune and ill-luck. Can u confirm this?

Ejimagift:
People that are segregating themselves with Osu cast system yet they want Biafra. God knows biafra will not survive 6 months before they fight another civil war. We don't need such unstable country near our borders

foolll. If you don't ave anything to say u better shut up ur mouth

How does biafra affect you?

Ejimagift:
People that are segregating themselves with Osu cast system yet they want Biafra. God knows biafra will not survive 6 months before they fight another civil war. We don't need such unstable country near our borders