Nkume Nwota: Onueke’s Sacred Stone and the Call for Return of the Oweze Staff

Nkume Nwota is a sacred stone in Onueke, Ezza South LGA of Ebonyi State. Local custodians describe it, together with the nearby Incumbent Water spring and Eke Imoha market, as central to Ezza history and the installation of the Oweze title. Eight elders reportedly affirmed this oral history on 30 October 2026. They said the spring has ritual importance and that conflicts around the site were linked to efforts to control the water source and the wealth of the historic market. The account also calls for the return of an Oweze staff said to have been taken during the colonial era and now held by the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge. The proposal is for the staff to be returned to Nkume Nwota, while Ebonyi State is urged to protect the stone and spring as heritage monuments.

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