Nollywood actor and Politician Yul Edochie has raised alarm over the growing number of premature deaths occurring across Nigeria, especially in the Southeast and connected it to the abandonment of traditional customs.
In a recent post on Instagram, Yul shared an image filled with obituary notices from his travels between Anambra and Abia, saying he was taken aback by the sheer volume of young deaths afflicting people in their twenties to forties. He noted it was not normal for so many young lives to be lost at once.
Edochie attributed the trend to society’s shift away from indigenous traditions toward Western lifestyles and religions.
He warned: “The spirits that once protected our lands are angry. We abandoned them for foreign beliefs. Our ancestors have been offended.”
He urged Nigerians to embrace ancestral practices and seek spiritual realignment through cultural rituals.
This claim has ignited debate: supporters argue that reconnecting with tradition could foster healing and balance, while critics dismiss it as superstition, pointing instead to modern health and environmental causes.
The discussion underscores ongoing tensions between faith traditions, modernity, and preventive health knowledge in Nigerian society.
