Magun, Alekwu, and Ekpo Nka Owo: Nigerian Traditions That Punish Adultery With Sickness, Death and More

In Nigeria, especially in rural areas, adultery is a cultural, spiritual, and sometimes deadly affair. 

Recently, an X (formerly Twitter) user claimed a woman who married a man from Orokam in Benue State died this week from an incurable illness inflicted by Alekwu, an ancestral spirit that enforces Idoma oaths against infidelity taken during weddings with kola nuts. 

Opinions are divided as usual, with some wondering why a married woman would cheat and others expressing their righteous anger at the cruelty and traditional bias. 

These kinds of practices might sound extreme, maybe even impossible to believe, but they really show centuries of deep-seated cultural beliefs about being faithful, morality, and maintaining social order. Here are a few more traditions you should know about.

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In the Southwest, among the Yoruba, adultery can trigger Magun, a dreaded charm whose name literally means "Thunderbolt".

Magun is often placed on a woman without her knowledge, sometimes at a doorway. If she has sex with a man other than her husband, the charm activates.

The results are terrifying. The lovers can get “stuck together"; the man may die instantly or, in some versions, scream and crow like a cock before dying. Others die after a short, intense illness.

While modern Yoruba communities see it as primitive, reports still surface from rural areas where it’s secretly used.

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Among the Ibibio and Annang people, the deity Ekpo Nka Owo regulates marital fidelity. Adulterous wives who refuse confession or cleansing rituals are believed to die during childbirth or lose their children.

Husbands who know of their wife’s infidelity and fail to expose her or continue eating her food risk death from the deity.

The only escape is Confession and specialised cleansing rituals are the only way to avoid divine punishment.

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In Benue, the Alekwu spirits watch over married women. Alekwu was believed to torment her in her dream, causing her to become sick, until she confessed and died. However, there are cases where the husband dies in place of his wife if it helps hide the adultery, Alekwu may punish him instead.

In Enugu-Ezike (Enugu State), there's a spiritual force called 'Ndishi' that watches over married couples to ensure they're faithful. If a woman cheats, it's believed she could either go crazy or suddenly die.

Even answering a call from another man while bathing, or letting a man’s hand rest across her waist, can be seen as adultery.

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In many Northern states, adultery is legally criminalised under the Penal Code. Sections 387 and 388 punish sexual intercourse with someone other than a spouse with imprisonment of up to two years, fines, or both.

Here, the threat of legal consequence joins spiritual and cultural enforcement, showing a blend of tradition and formal law.

• Esan (Edo State): Adultery with a king’s wife is punishable by death. Even minor acts, like stepping over a married woman’s legs, can be considered adultery.

• Isoko (Delta State): An adulterous wife might face a slow, painful illness. People believe it's caused by ancestral spirits called Eri.

• Igbo (general):  If a wife is suspected of cheating, she might have to go through a cleansing ritual involving the Umuada (the community's daughters), or she'll be totally shunned socially and face spiritual payback

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While most of these punishments target wives, husbands often have more freedom. Interestingly, most of these punishments are stipulated for wives, while husbands often had a lot more freedom. The whole point of these customs was to keep families together, make sure children were legitimate, and maintain social order.