Commotion as Man Marries Younger Sister in Anambra After Saying: ‘I got the directives from God’

A man, Chiadikobi Ezeibekwe, has reportedly tied the knot with his 17-year-old biological sister in the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Chiadikobi, the sixth of 10 children (eight boys and two girls) is a mathematics teacher at Community Secondary School, Isuofia, also in Aguata local government area.

According to the 25-year-old man, he got the directives from God. Ezeibekwe told Punch that he had a revelation where God told him to marry his sibling. He further quoted Bible passages in Deuteronomy to illustrate that siblings could marry each other.

“One advantage of doing this is that it discourages divorce. It also retains family values and norms. I don’t feel guilty. I don ’t feel ashamed. I don ’t feel intimidated in any way. Only God can stop us,” he said.

The teacher said he did not pay any bride price to anybody in respect of the marriage.

It is reported that the youth of the village has set ablaze the church, Dwelling Fullness of God Church, where the wedding was conducted. According to them, it is an abomination and an act that could incur the wrath of the gods upon the village.

Reacting to the issue, the traditional prime minister of Ekwulobia, Gabriel Ezeukwu, said,

“Agba village youths, who saw the marriage as an abomination, set ablaze the church where the wedding took place.

I restrained them from further action against the man and his family. If it were in the past, the entire family would be burnt down because this is a grave abomination and sin. It ’s over my dead body that they will call themselves husband and wife. It can’t happen.”

His pronouncement could have been ignored by a wave of hand but for the seeming legitimacy bestowed on the ‘marriage’ by his 78-year-old father, Mr. Louis Ezeibekwe and 53-year-old mother Josephine, who approved of the wedding conducted by their elder brother, Chijioke, said to be a pastor.

Though the action of the siblings has received strident condemnation by people in the community who heard about it, the mood in the family is sober and gives the impression of mourning over the sacrilege committed by the children.

Emeka, 33, the first son of Louis, who was the only member of the family that opposed the marriage, however, refused to speak on the matter saying that they were under instruction not to talk.

Emeka Ezeibekwe who vowed to resist their union, simply said;

”We are working on somebody’s instruction; don’t be offended, they have given us instruction not to say anything on this matter; if you want to get any information about what happened you can go to Ikenga Ekwulobia (Traditional Prime Minister); but for me, I don’t know anything about it.

You know, children when they say something, may be jokingly, they cannot stand what they said, I regretted even coming back. The way they carried the news is not how it is. I can call my younger brother to talk to you,” he said.

The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Nkeiruka Nwide, however responded to the story, but she claimed the news got to the command “unofficially.”