The Vice President, Association of Lunatic Healers, Edo State, Dr Jude Omon Oleabhiele, speaks about the association’s practice in this interview with ADEYINKA ADEDIPE

When was the Association of Lunatic Healers (Edo State) founded and how many members does the association have?

The Association of Lunatic Healers (Edo State) was founded in 1985 by the then military government of Bendel State, headed by (the late) Col. John Mark Inienger. It initially had about 20 members from the 19 local government areas of the state, with each local government having one lunatic healing and rehabilitation centre and the state capital, Benin City, having two. With the division of Bendel State into Edo and Delta states in 1991, the association was also divided between the two states. The Edo State government then recruited some more members to make up for the shortfall as a result of some of our members being retained by the Delta State Government. Presently, we have 12 members in the association in the state.

Apart from Edo and Delta states, does the association exist in other states?

I am aware we have the association only in Edo and Delta states because Bendel State was the only state in Nigeria with such a programme and upon the creation of Edo and Delta states out of Bendel State, these two states have continued to run this programme, which has been on for the past 37 years.

What does the association consider before admitting someone as a member?

Before anyone can become a member of this association, some very strict criteria must be met. The Edo State Government is solely responsible for admitting people into the association after strict vetting, investigations and inspection of the prospective healing home. We, as an association, can only recommend a candidate for admittance to the state government through the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Issues. Furthermore, the prospective candidate must be registered with the Edo State Traditional Medicine Board, must be a member of the umbrella body of all traditional doctors in Nigeria, the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners, as well as register with the Modern Traditional Medicine Practitioners of Nigeria, which collates the data of traditional medical practitioners for the Federal Ministry of Health to enable such a practitioner to be on the database of the Federal Ministry of Health as a recognised traditional medical practitioner.

For how long have you been the association’s leader? Did you emerge through an election?

I am the Vice President of the association but at official functions I represent the President, who is old. We will be two years into our four-year tenure in a few months’ time. We emerged through an election.

For how long have you been practising as a lunatics’ healer?

I was born into the practice and I have been involved in treating and caring for lunatics for over 40 years. I worked with my father, who was a humanist and instilled in me the value for the sanctity of human life and dignity. The job is tedious and it not an enviable or profit-oriented job; it entails selflessness and personal sacrifices.

Like my father and his father before him, I inherited the practice from my father, Prof T.O. Omon Oleabhiele. He was the president of the association until his demise in 2020.

What are your educational qualifications?

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from the University of Benin. I have also had training from several workshops, though those I am not sure those can be regarded as educational qualifications. My course of study in the university was predicated on the need to acquire the necessary skills needed to cultivate medicinal plants as human activities keep depleting the forests which is the natural storehouse for medicinal plants.

It is widely believed that lunacy is a spiritual problem rather than a medical problem. Is this correct? What is the common cause of lunacy from your experience?

Lunacy cannot be attributed to a single factor; there are multiple factors that result in lunacy, among which are drug and substances abuse, accidents leading to damage of the brain, stress, genetic condition and spiritual problems. The difference in tradition-based approach to treatment of lunacy is that the traditional practice takes spiritual angle into account.

Can you dwell more on the spiritual cause of lunacy?

Spiritual causes of lunacy are broad-based. There are people who run mad as a result of curses placed on them because they committed abominable crimes, such as murder, rape, violation of sacred traditional rites, desecration of shrines or engaging in sacrilege. People have been known to run mad for robbing churches/ mosques or carrying out unspeakable abominations, including even adultery. People have also been known to run mad as a result spiritual attacks from enemies. Some other people have been known to run mad because they dabbled into occultism.

In summary, we can say that lunacy can be caused by both medical and spiritual factors as well as lifestyle choices. The spiritual angle of lunacy is one area science does not want to investigate. However, if one is a Christian, a Muslim or a traditional worshipper, it means such an individual believes there is a spiritual angle to life. If a religious person then says there is no spiritual dimension to madness, such an individual is not being honest.

Is it really possible for someone to run mad as a result of failed money ritual, as commonly portrayed in Nollywood movies?

We have seen such cases. People are programmed to react to situations differently. People have been known to run mad as a result of culture shock, some people may not be conditioned to withstand scenes that may play out during these abhorrent money rituals. However the dramatic scenes portrayed in Nollywood are basically for entertainment and may not reflect real-life situations.

What can you say about men who sleep with mad women for money rituals?

A man who sleeps with a mad woman in the name of money ritual is depraved and has only taken advantage of a person who needs help. The video of an Alfa violating a madwoman in Ibadan currently trending on social media is a case in point. We see pregnant lunatics on the streets as a result of this trend and it is reprehensible. Men who sleep with madwomen for money rituals should be examined as they are mad themselves. However, I do not know the efficacy of such acts as I am not knowledgeable in such reprehensible rituals. From my point of view, I think such a person should have his head examined.

Lunacy seems to be associated with adults as it is uncommon to see children who are mad. Is it possible for a child to run mad?

Lunacy is not restricted to adults. Though not common in children, it is present.

Are there types of lunacy?

There are many types of madness. Our professional colleagues in the western practice have classified a broad range of lunacy, just as traditional psychiatry has also classified madness into different types. Modern psychiatry classifies mental illness into different types such as schizophrenia, neurosis, paranoia. In traditional psychiatry, there are mental illnesses that are classified as spiritual-based madness, so we don’t lump up all psychiatric conditions and they are not treated with the same medication.

How do you handle violent madmen?

Some mad people are violent and to handle them, we have Marshalls in our homes who monitor them round the clock. They assist in holding and strapping them until we are able to calm them down. We also have sections where we quarantine violent people. These sections are specially built to prevent these people from harming other people.

There is a popular belief that if a madman bites someone, the person will run mad. Is this true?

This is untrue. While apprehending lunatics from the public space, we have had cases where they bit our staff and Marshalls, these people have not run mad. Some of the erroneous information in society has led to the stigmatisation of these people who need help and care and has further made helping them difficult as people do not want to associate with them. However, these are real people with real-life issues. Like everybody else, they need all the care they can get.

Do you have an unforgettable experience in the course of your career as a lunatics’ healer?

Well everyday is an unforgettable experience amongst these people but I will never forget the day I attended a wedding and a well-dressed man approached me, and after exchanging pleasantries, he asked if I remembered him. I said, “I cannot remember you, but will be happy if you introduce yourself to me.” He said he was one of the inmates at my facility some years ago whom the Edo State Government rehabilitated through our home. He was now a transporter plying Benin-Asaba route. I was overjoyed to meet his wife and daughter. We exchanged phone numbers and have kept in touch ever since. That case spurred me to continue to deliver my mandate to the state government as the merits of the programme cannot be over-emphasised.

Does that mean a madman can be completely healed after treatment, contrary to the popular belief that insanity cannot be completely cured?

A madman can be completely healed. There are cases that can only be managed and sadly there are also cases that will afflict the patient for life.

There is a belief that a lunatics’ healer will have at least one of his children becoming a lunatic. Is it true?

Such fallacious stories have made recruiting staff to assist our ever-expanding job very difficult. Lunatics are humans that need help. The stories woven around their medical condition have resulted in people turning their mentally-sick relatives loose on the streets. These people walk naked in some cases inside the city, with children exposed to such scenes, fending for themselves by scavenging for food from refuse bin, which in the long run leads to other medical conditions. It is uncivilised to turn sick people loose on the street. Mental health issues are more common than we think. They are also on the rise and the sooner we positively reorient ourselves as a society, the better for us.

What are the early signs of madness?

There are different forms of madness but in most cases some of the early signs include restlessness, being unkempt, excessive cleanliness and muttering to oneself. However, some patients do not exhibit any of these signs and their case can only be diagnosed by a psychiatrist or a trained traditional psychiatric healer.

What should loved ones do when they see early signs of madness in their member?

Loved ones should seek help from a psychiatric hospital or a traditional psychiatric healer. They should desist from self-medication or stigmatising the victim and turning them loose on the street. Trying to treat psychiatric cases at home is not advisable, it usually fails.

What exactly do you use in the treatment of lunatics? Modern medicine, herbs or spiritual powers?

We use a variety of traditional medicines to treat these patients. We basically use herbs, as that is what we are trained to use. I have no idea of western medicines and as such cannot use what I know nothing about.

Is there any collaboration between you and psychiatrists or psychiatric hospitals?

Recently, the Edo State Government has been upgrading the programme and has been organising training workshops with psychiatrists and care givers from psychiatric hospitals. It has been a welcome development, which will go a long way in revolutionising the entire traditional psychiatry practice, not only in Edo State but Nigeria at large. Hopefully, it will be the basis for scientific research into the merits of traditional psychiatry. I must use this opportunity to commend such development, which was highly welcomed by all the members of our association.

It was in the news that your association got the backing of the Edo State Government. What does that mean for your association?

It was a great moral booster for us, as such backing means the state government recognises our work and our contribution to the socioeconomic development of the state. We have waited for such recognition for over 30 years, working assiduously.

Do you think people prefer your services to that of psychiatrists or psychiatric hospitals?

We are not in a competition with psychiatrists; rather, we will be happy if there is a synergy between us. However, there has not been any poll carried out by the ministry of statistics or any organization on that. It also has to do with what people prefer.

Do your members operate like normal hospitals with bed and wards, etc?

Yes, we operate along such lines, hence the training being organised by the ministry have been very welcome.

One major argument against the use of herbs is that herbal preparations don’t have dosage. Do you have any standard operating procedures that regulate your practice?

Well, in times past, such argument gained traction. First of all, herbs are natural products that can sometimes be taken as food while others are derived from food. Such products are known as neutraceticals or bioceuticals. In the thousands of years of herbal medical use, the issue of dosage was never a problem. However, one of our psychiatric drugs, Omon Brain Corrective powder, is a NAFDAC-registered product. We all know what it takes to get NAFDAC certification as rigorous scientific analyses and all the attendant criteria which include dosage must be met. The umbrella body of traditional medical practitioners was created to assist traditional doctors transition to modern way of doing things, which include scientific analysis of these drugs, certification by NAFDAC and calibrating dosage of these drugs. The excuses that were used to keep traditional medicine in the dark have long been overcome and we hope that the benefits of traditional medicine will be harnessed for the benefit of all.

Do you have cases of malpractices and how does your association address them?

We have had a case of malpractice and the association promptly expelled the erring member whose facility was subsequently closed down and blacklisted by the Edo State Government. There is zero tolerance for malpractice as people’s lives are involved in our work and the overriding principle is the restoration of human dignity, not profit making.

Which Nigerian state has the highest population of lunatics?

Though there are no statistics to back up my answer, with the population of Lagos, I will say Lagos State has the highest number of roaming lunatics on the streets. If the Federal Government can copy the Edo and Delta model towards addressing this social problem, the ugly sight of naked lunatics walking about in the middle of major Nigerian cities will be curtailed. It is a normal sight here but it is abnormal in the civilised world. I will also like to advise against drug and substance abuse. The current upsurge in the number of roaming lunatics all over Nigerian cities is directly tied to drug abuse, especially amongst youths. The end result of drug abuse is an ugly reality; stay off drugs.