Leopard Slayers of Oguta: The Ancient Igbo Title That Still Commands Respect
3 min read
Leopard Slayers of Oguta: The Ancient Igbo Title That Still Commands Respect
At 60, Nigerian businessman and physician Ken Okoroafor fulfilled a boyhood dream—to become the much-esteemed title of Ogbuagu, or “Leopard Slayer.”
Back in his home town of Oguta, south-eastern Nigeria, jubilant crowds witnessed his induction into the elite, all-male Igbuu Society. The honor dates back centuries when slaying a leopard to be offered to the king was both a display of courage and a pathway to prestigious status.
Historically, the leopard meat was distributed to 25 villages, sealing the titleholder’s authority and respect. Eventually, the needs for hunting relaxed, and in the late 20th century, conservation issues put an end to leopard sacrifices altogether. The last one was conducted in 1987, and monetary donations now substitute for the animal.
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The first recorded usage of money as a substitute for leopard was in 1942 when the prospective initiate failed to receive a second animal after mourning his mother. The initiates have since been able to choose between cash and leopard, though current members now refuse to kill the endangered species.
Becoming an Ogbuagu is still challenging, requiring three complex phases. The Igbuu Society, comprising approximately 75 members, has a history of more than 400 years to the establishment of Oguta by settlers from the ancient Benin Kingdom. Although categorized under Igbo, Oguta people have distinct customs, dialect, and traditions.
A number of initiations are carried out around Christmas, attracting massive crowds and members of the diaspora. Okoroafor and U.S.-based vehicle seller Pascal Okey Adizua completed their final two stages in December 2024.
The rituals are symbolic. The first stage, Igbu Agu, stages the leopard hunt. The initiate is given a gold-colored sword bearing his name, initiates other members with ringing swords, and pays the financial value of the leopard to the king.
The second stage, Iga Aji, is an isolated religious ritual. The initiate here is adorned with a red sash that symbolizes royalty, sacred beads, and feathers. The third and final stage, Ipu Afia Agu, is a big feast beginning in the initiate’s mother’s compound and ending at his own, with many an occasion it having hundreds of attendants.
In Adizua’s case, the festival included a procession around Oguta, chanting women and a symbolic leopard skin waving in the air. His daughters, medical practitioners, attended—one of the reasons that he had refrained from completing the rites.
There are benefits to being a title holder. Ogbuagu are addressed by their title everywhere in Igboland, can salute the king without curtsying, and occupy seats of honour at dignified assemblies. Their ceremonial clothing and beads signify their status, and authority in the society is purely dependent on years of membership.
Stereotypical members include Supreme Court judge Chukwudifu Oputa, pop singer Dr Alban of Swedish-Nigerian extraction, and businessman Gogo Nwakuche. Potential members have to meet strict criteria: property ownership, verifiable income, marriage or previous marriage, and impeccable reputation.
Slaves’ descendants, however, ohu, remain barred, a final relic of a previous social stratification. Attempts to abolish this exclusion are in the pipeline, with plans for traditional ceremonies officially bringing the practice to an end.
While other natives decry the society’s extravagance, arguing money can be channeled to development projects, members are on the practice’s defense. Secretary Victor Aniche argues that the Igbuu makes more positive contributions to Oguta’s development than are credited, with ceremony expenditures recycling into the economy.
Near a half of the Igbuu Society is abroad, but the connection to Oguta remains.”, “Being back home for rituals is a reprieve from diaspora living and preserving heritage for some.
For Okoroafor, the title is ego but only for a moment—it is a permanent linkage to his people’s heritage. “Oguta is a nice town with a lot of people who have succeeded in different spheres,” he reminisced. “Now that I am an Ogbuagu, I will go home more frequently.”
