Egbesu is the

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

of the Ijaw people of the

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitic ...

region. Egbesu is also perceived as the spiritual foundational force for combating

evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...

. The Egbesu force can only be used in defence or to correct an injustice, and only by people who are in harmony with the universe. The

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

s of the

divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

force In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an Physical object, object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the Magnitu ...

are the

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

, panther, and

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

. Egbesu has both a philosophical and spiritual dimension, the latter of which has been more prominent during recent times due to conflicts in regions where the Ijaw reside.

Beliefs

Belief in Egbesu dictates the Ijaw philosophical principles of war and the Egbesu force is believed to be able to provide spiritual attributes to Ijaw fighters. The philosophical aspect incorporates elements of a

just war The just war theory () is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. It has bee ...

. Egbesu conduct for just wars dictates that the only justified cause of war is self-defence. Therefore, the Egbesu force can only be used to correct an

injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but ...

and only by people who are considered in harmony with the

universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...

. Egbesu war ethics also incorporates a reward element, where victors are granted rewards for winning just wars. Egbesu is also expressed in cultural practices. This includes a hierarchical organization of community members into an Egbesu

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

(chief priest), high

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

(Okparans), followed by other priests and foot soldiers (Kulikuliwei). Chief priests are the only ones allowed to declare war, and only in their absence are Okparans allowed to undertake this duty. The Egbesu force is also believed to be able to grant spiritual powers to fighters. This includes protection from enemy

bullets A bullet is a Kinetic energy weapon, kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is Shooting, shot from a gun barrel. They are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax; and are made ...

Current Practices

The

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...

Egbesu cult of the Ijaws declined after the successful

British occupation The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establishe ...

of the Ijaw lands in the late 19th century. This minimized the prominence of Egbesu for some time and most Ijaws only knew of the deity and its philosophy through

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

and traditional

war song A war song is a musical composition that relates to war, or a society's attitudes towards war. They may be pro-war, anti-war, or simply a description of everyday life during war times. It is possible to classify these songs by historical conflic ...

s. However, the Niger Delta conflict, which arose due to tensions between

foreign Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...

oil corporations and minority ethnic groups in the region, has centered current Egbesu practices around the spiritual defence mechanism Egbesu can provide for the Ijaw people. Oil extraction projects conducted by the

Nigerian government The federal government of Nigeria is composed of three distinct branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial, whose powers are vested and bestowed upon by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. One of the primary f ...

and foreign oil corporations often lead to conflict between the two sides as the Ijaw people struggle against state suppression and socioeconomic

marginalization Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...

Militant Groups

The Niger Delta conflict has prompted contempt from many locals, and militant groups have evoked Egbesu war ethics as a way to mobilize and recruit members in the fight against the Nigerian state and the Nigerian petroleum industry. The most important aspect evoked is the protection Egbesu power provides from enemy bullets. In order to receive said protection, groups are supported by mothers of the community, male elders, and priests. Youth militants also use white chalk to paint their faces and place medicated

plant leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...

on their foreheads for protection. Groups formed around Egbesu include the Egebesu Boys or the Egbesu Boys of Africa, Red Egbesu Water Lions, Reformed Egbesu Boys of the Niger Delta, and the Egbesu Mightier Fraternity. These groups have both worked with and been in conflict with other groups, with the Egbesu Mightier Fraternity being involved in the

2016 Niger Delta conflict The 2016 Niger Delta conflict is an ongoing conflict around the Niger Delta region of Nigeria in a bid for the secession of the region, which was a part of the breakaway state of Biafra. It follows on-and-off conflict in the Christian-domin ...

, but have signed a ceasefire as of late August 2016.

Egbesu Boys

As a response to the Niger Delta conflict, the Egbesu Boys emerged during the early 1990s.Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (2006). Nigeria: Egbesu Boys; Leadership, Membership Recruitment Practices, Activities, and Treatment by Authorities. UNHCR. Retrieved 19 October 2021. The group took up arms to fight against authorities in the

Conflict in the Niger Delta The current conflict in the Niger Delta first arose in the early 1990s over tensions between foreign oil corporations and a number of the Niger Delta's minority ethnic groups who feel they are being exploited, particularly the Ogoni and the Ija ...

in response to

environmental Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

and other problems caused by the

petroleum industry in Nigeria Nigeria is the largest oil and gas producer in Africa. Crude oil from the Niger Delta basin comes in two types: light, and comparatively heavy – the lighter crude has API gravity of approximately 36 while the heavier crude has API gravity ra ...

, including the lack of investment of oil revenue in the local economy. Many young men have joined the cult, undergoing secret initiations by priests who impart the spiritual powers of Egbesu. The initiation involves the subject being etched with

cicatrice A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natur ...

s on some hidden part of the body, and some members also wear amulets. The followers often believe the talisman and the cult initiations make them bulletproof. Reports of their activities include kidnapping of oil workers, sabotage of oil installations, and attacks on Nigerian authorities. However, it is difficult to attribute specific activities to the group due to the presence of multiple other militant groups in the area. The group is active across six southeastern states in the

, with their traditional headquarters located in Amabulou,

Bayelsa State Bayelsa is a state in the South South region of Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta. Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and was carved out from Rivers State, making it one of the newest states in the federation. The capital, Yenag ...

References

Rebel groups in Nigeria Religion in Nigeria Traditional African religions Ijaw {{Traditional-African-religions-stub